FAMILY STUDY OF PEDIATRIC AUTOIMMUNITY

该子项目是利用NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为中心，不一定是研究者所在机构。这是一项前瞻性病例对照研究，研究家族遗传对狼疮和其他自身免疫性疾病风险的影响。我们和其他人已经发现，在怀孕期间，母亲和胎儿之间存在细胞转移，并且转移的细胞在孩子身上无限期地存在。正如骨髓移植会导致一种慢性炎症疾病，称为移植物抗宿主病，母体细胞在一个孩子可能是一个因素，在触发或延续慢性炎症性疾病，称为自身免疫性疾病。然而，健康的人也可以携带母体细胞。我们相信母亲和孩子携带的基因可能在疾病中很重要。 共有60例自身免疫性疾病患者和60例健康对照患者将同意参加本研究。潜在的研究受试者将在儿童医院和地区医疗中心的风湿病和青少年医学诊所由他们的咨询医生进行接触。将通过FHCRC招募其他健康对照。在给予知情同意后，他们将被要求捐献最多60 cc的血液。对于自身免疫性疾病患者，将在疾病活动期和缓解期采集样本。患者和医生或研究工作人员将填写简短问卷，以获取临床信息。 这项研究将增加对免疫系统如何耐受外来细胞的理解，以及由于遗传的特定基因而导致的这种耐受性的丧失如何导致自身免疫。如果母体细胞和特定的分子靶点导致自身免疫性疾病的原因，那么治疗可以针对这些细胞和蛋白质来保护患者的生命。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. This is a prospective case-control study of the effects of family inheritance on the risk for developing lupus and other autoimmune diseases. We and others have found that there is a transfer of cells between mother and fetus during pregnancy and that the transferred cells persist indefinitely in the child. Just as bone marrow transplantation can lead to a disease of chronic inflammation called graft-versus-host-disease, maternal cells in a child may be a factor in the triggering or perpetuating chronic inflammatory diseases, called autoimmune diseases. However, healthy persons may also harbor maternal cells. We believe that the genes carried by both the mother and child may be important in disease. A total of 60 patients with autoimmune disease and 60 healthy control patients will be consented for the study. Potential study subjects will be approached in the rheumatology and adolescent medicine clinics at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center by their consulting physicians. Additional healthy controls will be recruited through the FHCRC. After giving informed consent, they will be asked to donate up to 60cc of blood. For patients with autoimmune disease, samples will be obtained during active disease and again during remission. Brief questionnaires will be filled out by patients and physicians or study staff to obtain clinical information. This study will increase understanding of how the immune system tolerates foreign cells and how loss of this tolerance due to specific genes inherited, may lead to autoimmunity. If maternal cells and specific molecular targets contribute to the causes of autoimmune diseases, then treatments could target these cells and proteins to preserve the lives of patients.