In lupus, faulty ‘editing’ of genes in white blood cells may create new targets for attack

Neutrophils from people with lupus carry many abnormally spliced gene messages that produce new protein pieces, and patients’ T cells and antibodies reacted to twenty-one of them found on immune molecules, in a study published Oct. 28, 2026, in Nature. It is a new clue to how this autoimmune disease starts.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, including skin, joints and kidneys. Why the immune system turns against itself is still not fully understood.

What is splicing?

Before a gene’s message is turned into a protein, it’s “edited” by a process called splicing, which cuts out some parts and joins others. Mistakes in splicing can create protein pieces that the body has never seen, called neoantigens. In cancer, such pieces can help the immune system attack tumors.

What did the study find?

• Neutrophils, the most common white blood cells, from people with lupus contained many abnormally spliced messages, unlike neutrophils from healthy people or from people with rheumatoid arthritis.
• These messages were predicted to produce new protein sequences not found in any normal protein.
• Twenty-one peptides from these sequences were detected on immune display molecules in patient samples.
• Patients’ T cells multiplied and released an inflammatory signal when exposed to these peptides.
• Patients’ blood contained antibodies that recognized parts of these new sequences.

Why does this matter for autoimmune disease?

It suggests that faulty splicing in neutrophils may supply some of the targets that drive the autoimmune attack in lupus. If confirmed, it could lead to new tests or treatments aimed at the source.

How solid is this evidence?

It’s moderate for patients. Mongevity rates it C on our A-to-E scale. The laboratory work is detailed and published in a leading journal, but it’s mechanistic research in patient samples, not a treatment study. How many patients have these responses, and how much they matter for symptoms, still needs to be shown.

What does this mean for you?

Nothing changes in lupus care today. If you live with lupus, keep up regular checks of kidneys and blood counts and follow your treatment plan. Research like this may eventually lead to more precise therapies.

How do I explain this at dinner?

Our cells copy instructions to make proteins, and sometimes the copy gets messed up. In lupus, these mistakes in some white blood cells seem to create new pieces that the body then attacks by mistake. A good question for the table: why might a small copying mistake cause a big problem?

In one sentence: faulty gene splicing in white blood cells of people with lupus creates new protein pieces that their immune system attacks, a possible source of the disease.