Immune cells in lung tissue may drive autoimmune diseases

A new study analyzing over 1.1 million immune cells from the lungs of 128 volunteers has identified genetic factors that may drive tissue-resident immune cells to malfunction, potentially causing autoimmune diseases and chronic lung inflammation. Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology found these lung-resident cells express genes linked to genetic risk for conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma. The analysis also uncovered around 1,000 genes affected by genetic factors that were not detected in blood-circulating immune cells. The study, published in Nature Immunology, also revealed 1,700 genes with sex-based expression differences, which may help explain why autoimmune diseases are more common in women. The findings are part of the DICE project, which aims to connect genetic variations to immune cell function.