October 30, 2009
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Exploring Gene Networks Involved in Autoimmune Diseases

Currently, five to eight percent of the U.S. population is afflicted with an autoimmune disease (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases). Many of these are chronic and require life-long care. Moreover, different autoimmune diseases aggregate within a single family, suggesting they are caused by disruptions in common biological pathways.

Pathways
The gene networks illustrated in "Pathways to Discovery: Autoimmune Diseases" should facilitate the discovery of targeted therapies for many autoimmune diseases. Pathway figures adapted from IPA (Ingenuity System Inc., USA) diagrams. Genes included only if associated with two or more diseases.
The Jackson Laboratory, home to the largest collection of mouse models for studying human autoimmune disease, has created "Pathways to Discovery: Autoimmune Diseases", an exclusive, interactive, online tool to help researchers investigate the molecular commonalities among five autoimmune diseases: inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis. This multifaceted resource also provides gene- and disease-specific references, links to JAX® Mice strains (including inducible mouse models) that can be used to research the five diseases, and descriptions of JAX® In Vivo Services for compound efficacy testing. This new compilation of autoimmune disease resources, in one location, will accelerate scientific discovery of disease mechanisms and ultimately lead to new therapeutic interventions.

The backbone of the resource is five "spider-web" diagrams (one for each autoimmune disease) that depict genes/proteins shared among two or more of the five diseases. Symbols in the diagrams represent cytokines, transmembrane receptors, enzymes, nuclear receptors, transcriptional regulators, and other proteins involved in common autoimmune pathways, such as inflammation.

"Pathways to Discovery: Autoimmune Diseases" can facilitate the identification of novel therapeutic targets relevant to several autoimmune diseases and the exploration of alternate therapeutic areas for existing targets.

For more information or a brief tour of our new Autoimmune Disease Pathways tool, contact Technical Information Services, call 1-800-422-6423, or contact your regional representative.