FAMILY STUDY OF PEDIATRIC AUTOIMMUNITY

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 这是一项关于家族遗传对狼疮和其他自身免疫性疾病发病风险影响的前瞻性病例对照研究。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。孩子体内的母体细胞可能是引发或延续慢性炎症性疾病的一个因素，这种疾病被称为自身免疫性疾病。然而，健康人也可能藏有母体细胞。我们认为，母亲和孩子携带的基因可能在疾病中起重要作用。 共有60名自身免疫性疾病患者和60名健康对照患者将同意参加这项研究。潜在的研究对象将在儿童医院和地区医学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。在给予知情同意后，他们将被要求献血至多60cc。对于自身免疫性疾病的患者，在疾病活动期和缓解期将采集样本。患者或研究人员将填写简短的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以及由于特定基因遗传导致的这种耐受性丧失可能导致自身免疫的理解。如果母体细胞和特定的分子靶点与自身免疫性疾病的病因有关，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. 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. 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 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.