Gene mutations found in white blood cells of people with rheumatoid arthritis

Gene mutations in cells are a feature of rheumatoid arthritis, a team reveals for the first time in Nature Communications.

We already know that gene mutations that accumulate in cells are involved in the development of cancer, but until now there was little research on their impact when it comes to autoimmune diseases.

Now a research group from Helsinki has found that mutations in cells are also present in some people with rheumatoid arthritis.

“It may be possible that these mutations affect the regulation of the inflammatory process,” says Prof Satu Mustjoki, who is involved in the work. “For now, there is no certainty on how these mutations affect the regulation of chronic inflammations. They may be, for lack of a better word, ‘genomic scars’ formed as a result of the activation of the immune defence system.

“In any case, this research project revealed a new connection on the molecular level between autoimmune diseases and cancer, which brings us one step closer to understanding these diseases.”

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