Overview

NIH Distinguished Investigator

The broad and long-term objectives of the Systemic Autoimmunity Branch are to further the understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical spectrum of systemic autoimmune diseases and to translate this knowledge into better therapies that improve outcomes for patients with these conditions. A major goal of the branch is to combine natural history or treatment studies with basic investigations into the etiology and/or pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Additionally, the branch works to train the next generation of scientists and physician-scientists focused on the understanding of the pathogenesis and advancement in the treatments of patients afflicted by systemic autoimmune diseases.

Our research focuses on unraveling fundamental mechanisms underlying immunologic tolerance and understanding innate and adaptive immune pathways crucial to these autoimmune responses in SLE and other autoimmune diseases.

Lupus neutrophils form NETs and extrude nucleic acids
Lupus neutrophils form NETs and extrude nucleic acids. Low-density granulocytes isolated from a patient with systemic lupus erythematous are visualized using a laser confocal microscopy Zeiss LSM 780. Left: DNA in nuclei and NET fibers is detected with Hoechst (in blue); newly synthesized RNA is visualized using Click-It technology (in green), and neutrophil elastase, a protein present in protein granules and NETs is visualized in red. Right: color-coded depth analysis of the blue fluorescence channel. The amplification is 63x and the bar displayed in the left image corresponds to 10 um. [Image obtained by Dr. Luz Blanco, Systemic Autoimmunity Branch, NIAMS]

As treatments to suppress aberrant immune responses improve, patients with systemic autoimmunity are able to survive for longer periods of time. As a result, the prevalence of end-stage complications, including the development of accelerated atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, has increased. We are interested in identifying the immune pathways that promote premature vascular damage in systemic autoimmunity to identify potential preventive strategies.

Current areas of interest

  • The role of neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the induction of loss of immunologic tolerance and acceleration of organ and vascular damage in autoimmune diseases.
  • How type I Interferons (IFNs) contribute to the development of premature atherogenesis and vasculopathy in SLE and other connective tissue diseases.
  • Alterations of immunometabolism in autoimmunity.
  • The identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to mitigate cardiovascular damage and induce immunomodulation in SLE and other systemic rheumatic diseases.

Staff

Image
Kaplan lab members - 2020

Our lab is always seeking to recruit the best talent in the scientific community. If you are interested in joining our team, please contact us.

Former Lab Members

Postdoctoral Students and Scholars

  • Hege Lynum Pedersen, Ph.D., 2018-2019 (Research Scientist, UiT The Artic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway)
  • Jose Jiram Torres-Ruiz, M.D., 2018 (Ph.D. student, UNAM, Mexico City)
  • Liam O’Neill, M.D., 2017-2019 (Rheumatologist and Clinician-Scientist, University of Manitoba, Canada)
  • Yaima Lightfoot, Ph.D., 2015-2017 (Research Scientist, MD Anderson Cancer Center)
  • Yudong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., 2015-2018 (Attending Physician, Peking University, China)
  • Pragnesh Mistry, Ph.D., 2015-2018 (Technology Transfer and Patent Specialist, NHLBI, NIH)
  • John Reynolds, MRCP, Ph.D., 2014 (Clinical Senior Lecturer in Rheumatology, University of Birmingham, UK)
  • Ana Barrera, M.D., 2014-2016 (Attending Physician, Hospital ABC, Mexico City)

Postbaccalaureate Students

  • Donavon Sandoval-Heglund, B.S., 2019-2020
  • Xinghao Wang, B.S., 2018-2021 (M.D., Ph.D. student, University of Michigan)
  • Rishi Goel, Sc.M., since 2018 (M.D. student, University of Pennsylvania)
  • Phillip Carlucci, B.S., 2016-2018 (M.D. student, NYU)
  • Diana Chan, B.S., 2016-2018 (D.D.S. student, University of Washington)
  • Nickie Seto, B.S., 2015-2018
  • Erica Moore, B.S., 2014-2016 (M.D., Ph.D. student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
  • Jorge Irizarry Caro, 2014-2016 (Internal Medicine Resident, UT Houston)
  • Monica Purmalek, B.A., 2014-2016 (Resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology, USUHS)

Graduate Students

  • Kathleen Bashant, Ph.D., Cambridge/NIH partnership, 2016-2020 (Research Scientist, Vow, Sydney, Australia)
  • Carolyne Smith, Ph.D., University of Michigan GPP program, 2010-2015 (Scientist, SQZ Biotechnologies)

Clinical Fellows

  • Kathleen Vazzana, M.D., 2019-2021 (Practicing Pediatric Rheumatology at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children)

Image & Media Gallery

Clinical Trials

Recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04690816 

This is an observational study to characterize how COVID-19 modulates systemic inflammation, autoimmune features and vasculopathy in adult and pediatric patients with a prior diagnosis of systemic autoimmunity, and their overall outcomes including response to potential antiviral treatments or vaccines.

Recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05440422 

This is a double blind placebo-controlled study to characterize whether blocking type I IFN receptor signaling with anifrolumab will lead to improvements in vascular function, decreases in vascular inflammation and modulation of biomarkers of vascular risk in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Active, not recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02338999

Lupus causes a person's immune system to attack the body. It can cause blood vessel problems, heart attack, or stroke. Researchers want to see if the drug pioglitazone may help and to see how well pioglitazone improves blood vessel function and decreases blood vessel inflammation. To study its effect on lupus symptoms.

Scientific Publications

Selected Recent Publications

Neutrophil extracellular traps and extracellular histones potentiate IL-17 inflammation in periodontitis.

Kim TS, Silva LM, Theofilou VI, Greenwell-Wild T, Li L, Williams DW, Ikeuchi T, Brenchley L, NIDCD/NIDCR Genomics and Computational Biology Core, Bugge TH, Diaz PI, Kaplan MJ, Carmona-Rivera C, Moutsopoulos NM
J Exp Med.
2023 Sep 4;
220(9).
doi: 10.1084/jem.20221751
PMID: 37261457

Constitutively active Lyn kinase causes a cutaneous small vessel vasculitis and liver fibrosis syndrome.

de Jesus AA, Chen G, Yang D, Brdicka T, Ruth NM, Bennin D, Cebecauerova D, Malcova H, Freeman H, Martin N, Svojgr K, Passo MH, Bhuyan F, Alehashemi S, Rastegar AT, Uss K, Kardava L, Marrero B, Duric I, Omoyinmi E, Peldova P, Lee CR, Kleiner DE, Hadigan CM, Hewitt SM, Pittaluga S, Carmona-Rivera C, Calvo KR, Shah N, Balascakova M, Fink DL, Kotalova R, Parackova Z, Peterkova L, Kuzilkova D, Campr V, Sramkova L, Biancotto A, Brooks SR, Manes C, Meffre E, Harper RL, Kuehn H, Kaplan MJ, Brogan P, Rosenzweig SD, Merchant M, Deng Z, Huttenlocher A, Moir SL, Kuhns DB, Boehm M, Skvarova Kramarzova K, Goldbach-Mansky R
Nat Commun.
2023 Mar 17;
14(1).
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36941-y
PMID: 36932076

Apoptosis-induced nuclear expulsion in tumor cells drives S100a4-mediated metastatic outgrowth through the RAGE pathway.

Park WY, Gray JM, Holewinski RJ, Andresson T, So JY, Carmona-Rivera C, Hollander MC, Yang HH, Lee M, Kaplan MJ, Cappell SD, Yang L
Nat Cancer.
2023 Mar;
4(3).
doi: 10.1038/s43018-023-00524-z
PMID: 36973439

Neutrophil extracellular trap-associated carbamylation and histones trigger osteoclast formation in rheumatoid arthritis.

O'Neil LJ, Oliveira CB, Wang X, Navarrete M, Barrera-Vargas A, Merayo-Chalico J, Aljahdali R, Aguirre-Aguilar E, Carlucci P, Kaplan MJ, Carmona-Rivera C
Ann Rheum Dis.
2023 May;
82(5).
doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-223568
PMID: 36737106

Distinct pathogenic roles for resident and monocyte-derived macrophages in lupus nephritis.

Richoz N, Tuong ZK, Loudon KW, Patiño-Martínez E, Ferdinand JR, Portet A, Bashant KR, Thevenon E, Rucci F, Hoyler T, Junt T, Kaplan MJ, Siegel RM, Clatworthy MR
JCI Insight.
2022 Nov 8;
7(21).
doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.159751
PMID: 36345939

Low-density granulocytes in systemic autoimmunity and autoinflammation.

Carmona-Rivera C, Kaplan MJ
Immunol Rev.
2023 Mar;
314(1).
doi: 10.1111/imr.13161
PMID: 36305174

Neutrophil extracellular traps in systemic autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases.

Wigerblad G, Kaplan MJ
Nat Rev Immunol.
2023 May;
23(5).
doi: 10.1038/s41577-022-00787-0
PMID: 36257987

Casting a Wide NET.

Kaplan MJ
J Immunol.
2022 Sep 1;
209(5).
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200173
PMID: 36130128

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ agonist pioglitazone improves vascular and metabolic dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Hasni S, Temesgen-Oyelakin Y, Davis M, Chu J, Poncio E, Naqi M, Gupta S, Wang X, Oliveira C, Claybaugh D, Dey A, Lu S, Carlucci P, Purmalek M, Manna ZG, Shi Y, Ochoa-Navas I, Chen J, Mukherjee A, Han KL, Cheung F, Koroleva G, Belkaid Y, Tsang JS, Apps R, Thomas DE, Heller T, Gadina M, Playford MP, Li X, Mehta NN, Kaplan MJ
Ann Rheum Dis.
2022 Aug 1;
81(11).
doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-222658
PMID: 35914929

Single-Cell Analysis Reveals the Range of Transcriptional States of Circulating Human Neutrophils.

Wigerblad G, Cao Q, Brooks S, Naz F, Gadkari M, Jiang K, Gupta S, O'Neil L, Dell'Orso S, Kaplan MJ, Franco LM
J Immunol.
2022 Aug 15;
209(4).
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200154
PMID: 35858733

Multicenter analysis of neutrophil extracellular trap dysregulation in adult and pediatric COVID-19.

Carmona-Rivera C, Zhang Y, Dobbs K, Markowitz TE, Dalgard CL, Oler AJ, Claybaugh DR, Draper D, Truong M, Delmonte OM, Licciardi F, Ramenghi U, Crescenzio N, Imberti L, Sottini A, Quaresima V, Fiorini C, Discepolo V, Lo Vecchio A, Guarino A, Pierri L, Catzola A, Biondi A, Bonfanti P, Poli Harlowe MC, Espinosa Y, Astudillo C, Rey-Jurado E, Vial C, de la Cruz J, Gonzalez R, Pinera C, Mays JW, Ng A, Platt A, NIH COVID Autopsy Consortium, COVID STORM Clinicians, Drolet B, Moon J, Cowen EW, Kenney H, Weber SE, Castagnoli R, Magliocco M, Stack MA, Montealegre G, Barron K, Fink DL, Kuhns DB, Hewitt SM, Arkin LM, Chertow DS, Su HC, Notarangelo LD, Kaplan MJ
JCI Insight.
2022 Aug 22;
7(16).
doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.160332
PMID: 35852866

Modulation of the Itaconate Pathway Attenuates Murine Lupus.

Blanco LP, Patino-Martinez E, Nakabo S, Zhang M, Pedersen HL, Wang X, Carmona-Rivera C, Claybaugh D, Yu ZX, Desta E, Kaplan MJ
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2022 Dec;
74(12).
doi: 10.1002/art.42284
PMID: 35791960

Multicenter analysis of neutrophil extracellular trap dysregulation in adult and pediatric COVID-19.

Carmona-Rivera C, Zhang Y, Dobbs K, Markowitz TE, Dalgard CL, Oler AJ, Claybaugh DR, Draper D, Truong M, Delmonte OM, Licciardi F, Ramenghi U, Crescenzio N, Imberti L, Sottini A, Quaresima V, Fiorini C, Discepolo V, Lo Vecchio A, Guarino A, Pierri L, Catzola A, Biondi A, Bonfanti P, Poli Harlowe MC, Espinosa Y, Astudillo C, Rey-Jurado E, Vial C, de la Cruz J, Gonzalez R, Pinera C, Mays JW, Ng A, Platt A, NIH COVID Autopsy Consortium, COVID STORM Clinicians, Drolet B, Moon J, Cowen EW, Kenney H, Weber SE, Castagnoli R, Magliocco M, Stack MA, Montealegre G, Barron K, Fink DL, Kuhns DB, Hewitt SM, Arkin LM, Chertow DS, Su HC, Notarangelo LD, Kaplan MJ
JCI Insight.
2022 Aug 22;
7(16).
doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.160332
PMID: 35852866

Boosting NAD+ blunts TLR4-induced type I IFN in control and systemic lupus erythematosus monocytes.

Wu J, Singh K, Lin A, Meadows AM, Wu K, Shing V, Bley M, Hassanzadeh S, Huffstutler RD, Schmidt MS, Blanco LP, Tian R, Brenner C, Pirooznia M, Kaplan MJ, Sack MN
J Clin Invest.
2022 Mar 1;
132(5).
doi: 10.1172/JCI139828
PMID: 35025762

Mitochondria shape neutrophils during hypoxia.

Kaplan MJ
Blood.
2022 Jan 13;
139(2).
doi: 10.1182/blood.2021013440
PMID: 35024809

Phase 1 double-blind randomized safety trial of the Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Hasni SA, Gupta S, Davis M, Poncio E, Temesgen-Oyelakin Y, Carlucci PM, Wang X, Naqi M, Playford MP, Goel RR, Li X, Biehl AJ, Ochoa-Navas I, Manna Z, Shi Y, Thomas D, Chen J, Biancotto A, Apps R, Cheung F, Kotliarov Y, Babyak AL, Zhou H, Shi R, Stagliano K, Tsai WL, Vian L, Gazaniga N, Giudice V, Lu S, Brooks SR, MacKay M, Gregersen P, Mehta NN, Remaley AT, Diamond B, O'Shea JJ, Gadina M, Kaplan MJ
Nat Commun.
2021 Jun 7;
12(1).
doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23361-z
PMID: 34099646

Patients with COVID-19: in the dark-NETs of neutrophils.

Ackermann M, Anders HJ, Bilyy R, Bowlin GL, Daniel C, De Lorenzo R, Egeblad M, Henneck T, Hidalgo A, Hoffmann M, Hohberger B, Kanthi Y, Kaplan MJ, Knight JS, Knopf J, Kolaczkowska E, Kubes P, Leppkes M, Mahajan A, Manfredi AA, Maueröder C, Maugeri N, Mitroulis I, Muñoz LE, Narasaraju T, Naschberger E, Neeli I, Ng LG, Radic MZ, Ritis K, Rovere-Querini P, Schapher M, Schauer C, Simon HU, Singh J, Skendros P, Stark K, Stürzl M, van der Vlag J, Vandenabeele P, Vitkov L, von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Yanginlar C, Yousefi S, Zarbock A, Schett G, Herrmann M
Cell Death Differ.
2021 Nov;
28(11).
doi: 10.1038/s41418-021-00805-z
PMID: 34031543

Cholesterol-Induced M4-Like Macrophages Recruit Neutrophils and Induce NETosis.

Maretti-Mira AC, Golden-Mason L, Salomon MP, Kaplan MJ, Rosen HR
Front Immunol.
2021;
12().
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.671073
PMID: 34012454

RNA Externalized by Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Promotes Inflammatory Pathways in Endothelial Cells.

Blanco LP, Wang X, Carlucci PM, Torres-Ruiz JJ, Romo-Tena J, Sun HW, Hafner M, Kaplan MJ
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2021 Dec;
73(12).
doi: 10.1002/art.41796
PMID: 33983685

Linking clotting and autoimmunity.

Kaplan MJ
Science.
2021 Mar 12;
371(6534).
doi: 10.1126/science.abg6449
PMID: 33707252

Bite of the wolf: innate immune responses propagate autoimmunity in lupus.

Gupta S, Kaplan MJ
J Clin Invest.
2021 Feb 1;
131(3).
pii: 144918. doi: 10.1172/JCI144918
PMID: 33529160

Proteomic, biomechanical and functional analyses define neutrophil heterogeneity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Bashant KR, Aponte AM, Randazzo D, Rezvan Sangsari P, Wood AJ, Bibby JA, West EE, Vassallo A, Manna ZG, Playford MP, Jordan N, Hasni S, Gucek M, Kemper C, Conway Morris A, Morgan NY, Toepfner N, Guck J, Mehta NN, Chilvers ER, Summers C, Kaplan MJ
Ann Rheum Dis.
2021 Feb;
80(2).
doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218338
PMID: 32988843

Effects of Gasdermin D in Modulating Murine Lupus and its Associated Organ Damage.

Wang X, Blanco LP, Carmona-Rivera C, Nakabo S, Pedersen HL, Yu ZX, Kaplan MJ
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2020 Dec;
72(12).
doi: 10.1002/art.41444
PMID: 32692482

Interferon lambda promotes immune dysregulation and tissue inflammation in TLR7-induced lupus.

Goel RR, Wang X, O'Neil LJ, Nakabo S, Hasneen K, Gupta S, Wigerblad G, Blanco LP, Kopp JB, Morasso MI, Kotenko SV, Yu ZX, Carmona-Rivera C, Kaplan MJ
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2020 Mar 10;
117(10).
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1916897117
PMID: 32094169

Key Publications

Modulation of cardiometabolic disease markers by type I interferon inhibition in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Casey KA, Smith MA, Sinibaldi D, Seto NL, Playford MP, Wang X, Carlucci PM, Wang L, Illei G, Yu B, Wang S, Remaley AT, Mehta NN, Kaplan MJ, White WI
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2020 Sep 10;
doi: 10.1002/art.41518
PMID: 32909675

Sex differences in neutrophil biology modulate response to type I interferons and immunometabolism.

Gupta S, Nakabo S, Blanco LP, O'Neil LJ, Wigerblad G, Goel RR, Mistry P, Jiang K, Carmona-Rivera C, Chan DW, Wang X, Pedersen HL, Gadkari M, Howe KN, Naz F, Dell'Orso S, Hasni SA, Dempsey C, Buscetta A, Frischmeyer-Guerrerio PA, Kruszka P, Muenke M, Franco LM, Sun HW, Kaplan MJ
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2020 Jul 14;
117(28).
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2003603117
PMID: 32601182

VDAC oligomers form mitochondrial pores to release mtDNA fragments and promote lupus-like disease.

Kim J, Gupta R, Blanco LP, Yang S, Shteinfer-Kuzmine A, Wang K, Zhu J, Yoon HE, Wang X, Kerkhofs M, Kang H, Brown AL, Park SJ, Xu X, Zandee van Rilland E, Kim MK, Cohen JI, Kaplan MJ, Shoshan-Barmatz V, Chung JH
Science.
2019 Dec 20;
366(6472).
doi: 10.1126/science.aav4011
PMID: 31857488

Transcriptomic, epigenetic, and functional analyses implicate neutrophil diversity in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Mistry P, Nakabo S, O'Neil L, Goel RR, Jiang K, Carmona-Rivera C, Gupta S, Chan DW, Carlucci PM, Wang X, Naz F, Manna Z, Dey A, Mehta NN, Hasni S, Dell'Orso S, Gutierrez-Cruz G, Sun HW, Kaplan MJ
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2019 Dec 10;
116(50).
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1908576116
PMID: 31754025

Synovial fibroblast-neutrophil interactions promote pathogenic adaptive immunity in rheumatoid arthritis.

Carmona-Rivera C, Carlucci PM, Moore E, Lingampalli N, Uchtenhagen H, James E, Liu Y, Bicker KL, Wahamaa H, Hoffmann V, Catrina AI, Thompson P, Buckner JH, Robinson WH, Fox DA, Kaplan MJ
Sci Immunol.
2017 Apr;
2(10).
pii: eaag3358. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aag3358
PMID: 28649674

Neutrophil extracellular traps enriched in oxidized mitochondrial DNA are interferogenic and contribute to lupus-like disease.

Lood C, Blanco LP, Purmalek MM, Carmona-Rivera C, De Ravin SS, Smith CK, Malech HL, Ledbetter JA, Elkon KB, Kaplan MJ
Nat Med.
2016 Feb;
22(2).
doi: 10.1038/nm.4027
PMID: 26779811

Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 triggers adenosine-mediated NETosis and TNF production in patients with DADA2.

Carmona-Rivera C, Khaznadar SS, Shwin KW, Irizarry-Caro JA, O'Neil LJ, Liu Y, Jacobson KA, Ombrello AK, Stone DL, Tsai WL, Kastner DL, Aksentijevich I, Kaplan MJ, Grayson PC
Blood.
2019 Jul 25;
134(4).
doi: 10.1182/blood.2018892752
PMID: 31015188

Peptidylarginine deiminases 2 and 4 modulate innate and adaptive immune responses in TLR-7-dependent lupus.

Liu Y, Lightfoot YL, Seto N, Carmona-Rivera C, Moore E, Goel R, O'Neil L, Mistry P, Hoffmann V, Mondal S, Premnath PN, Gribbons K, Dell'Orso S, Jiang K, Thompson PR, Sun HW, Coonrod SA, Kaplan MJ
JCI Insight.
2018 Dec 6;
3(23).
pii: 124729. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.124729
PMID: 30518690

Revealing the cellular degradome by mass spectrometry analysis of proteasome-cleaved peptides.

Wolf-Levy H, Javitt A, Eisenberg-Lerner A, Kacen A, Ulman A, Sheban D, Dassa B, Fishbain-Yoskovitz V, Carmona-Rivera C, Kramer MP, Nudel N, Regev I, Zahavi L, Elinger D, Kaplan MJ, Morgenstern D, Levin Y, Merbl Y
Nat Biotechnol.
2018 Oct 22;
doi: 10.1038/nbt.4279
PMID: 30346940

Dysregulated neutrophil responses and neutrophil extracellular trap formation and degradation in PAPA syndrome.

Mistry P, Carmona-Rivera C, Ombrello AK, Hoffmann P, Seto NL, Jones A, Stone DL, Naz F, Carlucci P, Dell'Orso S, Gutierrez-Cruz G, Sun HW, Kastner DL, Aksentijevich I, Kaplan MJ
Ann Rheum Dis.
2018 Dec;
77(12).
doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-213746
PMID: 30131320

Neutrophil subsets and their gene signature associate with vascular inflammation and coronary atherosclerosis in lupus.

Carlucci PM, Purmalek MM, Dey AK, Temesgen-Oyelakin Y, Sakhardande S, Joshi AA, Lerman JB, Fike A, Davis M, Chung JH, Playford MP, Naqi M, Mistry P, Gutierrez-Cruz G, Dell'Orso S, Naz F, Salahuddin T, Natarajan B, Manna Z, Tsai WL, Gupta S, Grayson P, Teague H, Chen MY, Sun HW, Hasni S, Mehta NN, Kaplan MJ
JCI Insight.
2018 Apr 19;
3(8).
pii: 99276. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.99276
PMID: 29669944

Synovial fibroblast-neutrophil interactions promote pathogenic adaptive immunity in rheumatoid arthritis.

Carmona-Rivera C, Carlucci PM, Moore E, Lingampalli N, Uchtenhagen H, James E, Liu Y, Bicker KL, Wahamaa H, Hoffmann V, Catrina AI, Thompson P, Buckner JH, Robinson WH, Fox DA, Kaplan MJ
Sci Immunol.
2017 Apr;
2(10).
pii: eaag3358. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aag3358
PMID: 28649674

A role for muscarinic receptors in neutrophil extracellular trap formation and levamisole-induced autoimmunity.

Carmona-Rivera C, Purmalek MM, Moore E, Waldman M, Walter PJ, Garraffo HM, Phillips KA, Preston KL, Graf J, Kaplan MJ, Grayson PC
JCI Insight.
2017 Feb 9;
2(3).
doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.89780
PMID: 28194438

Neutrophil extracellular traps enriched in oxidized mitochondrial DNA are interferogenic and contribute to lupus-like disease.

Lood C, Blanco LP, Purmalek MM, Carmona-Rivera C, De Ravin SS, Smith CK, Malech HL, Ledbetter JA, Elkon KB, Kaplan MJ
Nat Med.
2016 Feb;
22(2).
doi: 10.1038/nm.4027
PMID: 26779811

NETs are a source of citrullinated autoantigens and stimulate inflammatory responses in rheumatoid arthritis.

Khandpur R, Carmona-Rivera C, Vivekanandan-Giri A, Gizinski A, Yalavarthi S, Knight JS, Friday S, Li S, Patel RM, Subramanian V, Thompson P, Chen P, Fox DA, Pennathur S, Kaplan MJ
Sci Transl Med.
2013 Mar 27;
5(178).
doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3005580
PMID: 23536012

CD11b activation suppresses TLR-dependent inflammation and autoimmunity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Faridi MH, Khan SQ, Zhao W, Lee HW, Altintas MM, Zhang K, Kumar V, Armstrong AR, Carmona-Rivera C, Dorschner JM, Schnaith AM, Li X, Ghodke-Puranik Y, Moore E, Purmalek M, Irizarry-Caro J, Zhang T, Day R, Stoub D, Hoffmann V, Khaliqdina SJ, Bhargava P, Santander AM, Torroella-Kouri M, Issac B, Cimbaluk DJ, Zloza A, Prabhakar R, Deep S, Jolly M, Koh KH, Reichner JS, Bradshaw EM, Chen J, Moita LF, Yuen PS, Li Tsai W, Singh B, Reiser J, Nath SK, Niewold TB, Vazquez-Padron RI, Kaplan MJ, Gupta V
J Clin Invest.
2017 Apr 3;
127(4).
doi: 10.1172/JCI88442
PMID: 28263189

News & Highlights

Announcement |

NIAMS’ Mariana Kaplan Named NIH Distinguished Investigator

Mariana Kaplan, M.D., a longstanding NIAMS researcher and leader, has been promoted to the title of NIH Distinguished Investigator.
Announcement |

NIH and NIAMS Host Visit From White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator

On March 23, 2023, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, at the NIH Bethesda Campus.
NIAMS-Related Article |

A Biological Betrayal

Dr. Kaplan has studied a number of autoimmune diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis to vasculitis, but most of her efforts have been focused on what she calls “the poster child” for autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), more commonly referred to as ‘lupus.’
NIH News in Health |

Understanding Autoimmune Diseases

Sometimes, your immune system makes mistakes. If it sees your body’s healthy cells as a threat, it may attack them. This can cause an autoimmune disorder.
Spotlight on Research |

New treatment shows promise in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with lupus

Researchers have identified a potential treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease.
Featured |

Dr. Kaplan Receives GPP Outstanding Mentor Award

We are delighted to announce that Mariana Kaplan, M.D., Deputy Scientific Director of NIAMS and Chief of the Systemic Autoimmunity Branch, has received a 2021 Graduate Partnership Program Outstanding Mentor Award. This award recognizes outstanding mentors for their leadership and dedication to their graduate students.