Elucidating the role of double homeobox protein 4 (DUX4) in the pathology of inflammatory arthritis (R-11455)

Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic, inflammatory disease that mainly affects the spine causing pain, stiffness and fatigue. Patients with axSpA often experience pain and swelling in other peripheral joints including hip and knee. Until now, diagnosis of axSpA is still challenging due to overlap with other disorders and an appropriate serological test is still lacking. Increasing evidence suggests the presence of antibodies against self-antigens (autoantibodies) in patients with axSpA, which can be a helpful tool for diagnosis. Recently, we identified autoantibodies against double homeobox protein 4 (DUX4) in a subgroup of patients with axSpA. When further investigating the biological relevance of autoantibodies targeting DUX4, we found clear expression of DUX4 in knee and hip tissue from patients with axSpA and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), whereas expression was absent in knee tissue from a healthy person. In this project, we will further investigate the role of DUX4 in the pathology of axSpA and RA.

Keywords:DUX4, homeobox protein 4, Inflammatory arthritis

Disciplines:General diagnostics