LAPping up dead cells to prevent lupus nephritis: a novel role for noncanonical autophagy in autoimmunity

The mechanisms underlying the development of systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis remain poorly understood. A recent study demonstrates that deficiencies in the immune system's ability to degrade scavenged dead cells via noncanonical autophagy is sufficient to break immune tolerance and produce features commonly seen in lupus, including circulating autoantibodies, inflammatory cytokines, and nephritis. This work provides a possible mechanism for the association of polymorphisms in autophagy genes with the risk of lupus.