Defect in A20 gene expression causes rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers from VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and Ghent University have shown that a defective gene can contribute to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, an often-crippling inflammation of the joints that afflicts about 1% of the world's population. Until now, the underlying molecular mechanism of the disease was largely unclear. In the study, published in Nature Genetics, the researchers demonstrate that a cell-specific defect in the expression of the A20 gene (TNFAIP3) can contribute to the development of rheumatoid arthritis in mice, thereby identifying A20 as a possible target for the generation of new drugs.

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