Treatment with a laminin-derived peptide suppresses lupus nephritis.

The role of DNA as the target for pathogenic lupus autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus is equivocal and renal damage may be due to cross-reactivity of lupus Abs with glomerular components. We have previously shown that lupus autoantibodies bind to the laminin component of the extracellular matrix. In the present work, we have analyzed the fine specificity of the interaction of pathogenic murine lupus autoantibodies with this molecule and the effect of inhibiting their binding to laminin during the course of the disease.