Systemic Autoimmunity Branch

Mariana J. Kaplan, M.D.

    Overview

    NIH Distinguished Investigator

    Headshot image of Dr. Mariana J. Kaplan

    Mariana J. Kaplan, M.D.

    Deputy Scientific Director

    Research Areas (IRP Lab Groups)

    Autoimmunity,
    Cell Biology,
    Clinical Research,
    Immunology,
    Molecular Biology and Biochemistry,
    Systems Biology

    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.

    Related NIAMS Labs

    Scientific Advances

    A Metabolic Pathway Modifies Immune Responses and Associates with Cardiovascular Disease in Lupus
    Automated Method Efficiently and Accurately Assesses Neutrophil-based Structures Involved in Health and Disease
    Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Trigger Pathogenic Inflammation and Bone Loss in Periodontitis
    Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in Accelerated Bone Erosion and Osteoclast Formation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
    Spleen Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition Improves Disease Outcome in Severe COVID-19 Patients
    Multicenter Analysis of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Dysregulation in Adult and Pediatric COVID-19
    Itaconic Acid Derivative Is Effective in Keeping Established Murine Lupus Under Control
    Boosting NAD Metabolism Is Involved in Monocytes IFN Type I Proinflammatory Responses
    Sex differences in neutrophil biology affect response to type I interferons and cellular metabolism

    Core Research Facilities

    Labs at the NIAMS are supported by the following state-of-the-art facilities and services:

    Staff

    A group of diverse scientists, standing shoulder to shoulder.
    Mariana J. Kaplan, M.D.
    Deputy Scientific Director
    NIH Distinguished Investigator
    Carmelo Carmona-Rivera, Ph.D.
    Staff Scientist
    William Ambler, M.D.
    Metzger Scholar in Translational Medicine
    Clare Grady, M.D.
    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Norio Hanata, M.D., Ph.D.
    Postdoctoral Fellow (Visiting)
    Hannah Herzon, M.S.
    Lab Manager
    Gyeongmin Kim, Ph.D.
    Postdoctoral Fellow (Visiting)
    Chun-Ting (Justin) Kwong, M.D.
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Visiting)
    Jordan Reaves, B.S.
    Postbaccalaureate Fellow
    Jorge Romo-Tena, M.D., Ph.D.
    Postdoctoral Fellow

    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

    • Eduardo Patino-Martinez, Ph.D., 2020-2025
    • Shuichiro Nakabo , M.D., PH.D., 2018-2024 (Assistant Professor, University of Kyoto, Japan)
    • Mingzeng Zhang, M.D., PH.D., 2021-2022 (Postdoctoral fellow, Dana Farber Cancer Institute)
    • Gustaf Wigerblad, Ph.D., 2018-2023 (Research Fellow, Genomic Technology Section, NIAMS)
    • 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

    • Christopher Oliveira, B.S., 2910-2021 (M.D. Student, University of Washington)
    • Alexandra Woo , B.S., 2022-2024 (M.D., Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University)
    • Dillon Claybaugh, B.S., 2020-2023 (M.D. student, University of Oregon)
    • Donavon Sandoval-Heglund, B.S., 2019-2020 (M.D. Student, UCSF)
    • Xinghao Wang, B.S., 2018-2021 (M.D., Ph.D. student, University of Michigan)
    • Rishi Goel, Sc.M., 2018-2019 (Internal Medicine Resident, Mass General)
    • Phillip Carlucci, B.S., 2016-2018 (Rheumatology Fellow, 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 (Cardiology Fellow, UT Southwestern)
    • 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)

    Staff Scientists

    • Luz Blanco Ph.D., 2013-2025

    Image & Media Gallery

    Dr. Kaplan in her lab.
    In the Lab with NIAMS: Mariana Kaplan, M.D., Senior Investigator
    Systemic Autoimmunity Branch and Lupus Clinical Trials Unit group photo
    Systemic Autoimmunity Branch and Lupus Clinical Trials Unit
    Systemic Autoimmunity Branch group photo
    Systemic Autoimmunity Branch group photo
    Granulocytes detected by laser confocal microscope.
    Granulocytes
    Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in neutrophils isolated from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis following stimulation with recombinant IL-17A in vitro. Exuberant NET formation is observed characterized by long strands of DNA (blue) decorated with the granular protein neutrophil elastase (red).
    Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

    Clinical Trials

    Completed

    The Natural History of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases; An Observational Prospective Study

    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

    The Role of Anifrolumab in Improving Markers of Vascular Risk in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

    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).

    Completed

    The Role of PPAR-Gamma Agonists in Immunomodulation and Vascular Prevention in SLE (PPAR-SLE)

    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02338999
    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.

    Scientific Publications

    Selected Recent Publications

    Proteomic analysis of tumor cell nuclear expulsion reveals significant cell adhesion and RNA binding programs in extracellular chromatin.

    Gray JM, Park WY, Holewinski RJ, Andresson T, Carmona-Rivera C, Kaplan MJ, Yang L
    Sci Rep.
    2025 Aug 1;
    15(1).
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-11807-z
    PMID: 40751052

    Immunometabolism in systemic lupus erythematosus.

    Patiño-Martinez E, Kaplan MJ
    Nat Rev Rheumatol.
    2025 Jul;
    21(7).
    doi: 10.1038/s41584-025-01267-0
    PMID: 40524030

    Neutrophil extracellular traps activate Notch-γ-secretase signaling in hidradenitis suppurativa.

    Oliveira CB, Romo-Tena J, Patino-Martinez E, Woo A, Byrd AS, Kim D, Okoye GA, Kaplan MJ, Carmona-Rivera C
    J Allergy Clin Immunol.
    2025 Jan;
    155(1).
    doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.09.001
    PMID: 39265876

    The role of neutrophil extracellular traps in inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

    Hanata N, Kaplan MJ
    Curr Opin Rheumatol.
    2025 Jan 1;
    37(1).
    doi: 10.1097/BOR.0000000000001054
    PMID: 39258603

    Navigating an enigma: the continuing journey of autoimmunity discoveries.

    Kaplan MJ
    J Clin Invest.
    2024 Jun 3;
    134(11).
    doi: 10.1172/JCI182287
    PMID: 38828730

    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 Oct 12;
    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

    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

    Key Publications

    The Aconitate Decarboxylase 1/Itaconate Pathway Modulates Immune Dysregulation and Associates with Cardiovascular Disease Markers and Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

    Patiño-Martinez E, Nakabo S, Jiang K, Carmona-Rivera C, Tsai WL, Claybaugh D, Yu ZX, Romero A, Bohrnsen E, Schwarz B, Solís-Barbosa MA, Blanco LP, Naqi M, Temesgen-Oyelakin Y, Davis M, Manna Z, Gupta S, Mehta N, Naz F, dell'Orso S, Hasni S, Kaplan MJ
    J Immunol.
    2024 Aug 15;
    213(4).
    doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2400241
    PMID: 38949522

    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

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    Kaplan Discusses Link Between Lupus and Early Cardiovascular Disease Risk

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    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.
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    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.
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    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.’
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    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.
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    Last Updated: November 2025
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