Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease with an unsatisfactory state of treatment. We aim to explore novel targets for SLE from a genetic standpoint.
Methods: Cis-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) for whole blood from 31,684 samples provided by the eQTLGen Consortium as well as two large SLE cohorts were utilized for screening and validating genes causally associated with SLE.