January 9, 2025
Osaka University
RIKEN
The University of Tokyo
Keio University
[Highlights of the Research Findings]
We found that endogenous human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) is a genetic risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). We also discovered that SLE patients with endogenous HHV-6B exhibit a characteristic immune response.
We found that severe anellovirus infection is associated with SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
These findings are expected to serve as clinical biomarkers for immune-related diseases, contributing to disease prevention and improving the quality of personalized medicine for individual patients.
A collaborative research group—including Assistant Professor Nobuaki Sassa (Genetic Statistics / Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery / Visiting Scientist, Laboratory for Systems Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences / Visiting Researcher, Department of Statistical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo) and Professor Yukinori Okada (Genetic Statistics / Professor, Department of Statistical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo / Team Leader, Laboratory for Systems Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences) from the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Osaka University, along with Visiting Principal Investigator Nicholas Parrish, Special Postdoctoral Researcher Shohei Kojima, and Researcher Rie Koide from the Laboratory for Immune Organogenesis at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences—investigated the association of endogenous HHV-6 and anellovirus infections with five autoimmune diseases, including SLE, and COVID-19.
As a result, they discovered that endogenous HHV-6B has a significant impact on the onset and disease activity of SLE. They also revealed that a unique immune response is triggered in SLE patients who are positive for endogenous HHV-6B.
These research findings advance the understanding of the relationship between endogenous viruses, viral infections, and immune-related diseases, and are expected to contribute to disease prevention and stratified medicine in the future.
This work was published online in the American scientific journal Nature Genetics on January 3, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. (JST). A press conference on these research findings will be held online on Wednesday, January 15, at 2:00 p.m. We cordially invite the media to cover this event.
For the full press release, please see below.