FIGURE 6.

CREMα effects on IL-17A/IL-17F expression in SLE T lymphocytes. Overexpression of CREMα in T lymphocytes from SLE patients results in increased CREMα recruitment to both IL17A and IL17F promoter. As we reported previously (14), CREMα binding results in increased expression of IL-17A in SLE T cells. CREMα recruitment to the IL17F promoter mediates reduced IL-17F expression. These diametric mechanisms result in an “SLE-characteristic” imbalance between IL-17A and IL-17F levels and probably impaired assembly of IL-17A/IL-17F heterodimers, which have reduced proinflammatory activity as compared with IL-17A homodimers. This mechanism may have severe implications for the inflammatory cascades in SLE disease expression.