Gene mutation can spur autoimmunity
By Nathan Seppa
Two research groups working separately have discovered a gene on the X chromosome that, when mutated, can lead to a dangerous autoimmune disorder and sometimes diabetes.
One of the groups, led by scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle, reports in the January Nature Genetics that the gene, called FOXP3, can be mutated in many ways. By checking blood samples from members of families afflicted with the autoimmune disorder—known as IPEX, which stands for immune disregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome—the researchers uncovered the problematic mutations.
