question: Does an interferon (IFN) signature exist for SLE patients?
answer: Interferon type I (IFN-I) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of SLE. An IFN-I score (positive or negative), as a measure of IFN-I activation, is assessed using the expression values of IFN-I signature genes (IFI44, IFI44L, IFIT1, Ly6e, MxA, IFITM1) in CD14+ monocytes of cSLE patients and healthy controls (HCs).