# Project 2: Microbiome pathobionts and Lupus pathogenesis

> **NIH NIH P50** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $287,151

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting many organ
systems, with hallmarks of B-cell abnormalities and clonal expansions in the blood, specific types of circulating
autoantibodies and immune-complex mediated tissue injury. While the cause is unknown, in-depth genome-
wide association studies have identified genetic intervals and alleles that are associated with disease
predisposition. Environmental factors appear to have a large, although still poorly understood, influence.
 There have been accelerating advances in understanding how the bacterial communities that live in us and
on us contribute to inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Bacterial species, that in most hosts are normal
components of our microbial communities, have been implicated in pathogenesis and therefore termed
pathogenic symbionts or pathobionts. Yet in the great majority of adults these same commensal species are
completely innocuous or even beneficial. We have found that SLE patients with active disease have
imbalances (termed dysbiosis) in the distribution/diversity of bacterial taxa in their intestinal microbiomes.
 Our overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that specific pathobiont commensal intestinal bacterial species
contribute to lupus flares. In these studies we seek to understand how specific candidate pathobiont bacterial
isolates contribute to Lupus pathogenesis and the expansion of disease-associated blood B-cell clones. In addition,
we will study the effect of transferred gut microbiomes in murine models. The relationships between clones in the
gut-associated B-cell compartment and in the systemic compartment in SLE patients will also be investigated.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10249215
- **Project number:** 5P50AR070591-05
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Gregg Joshua Silverman
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $287,151
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-22 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10249215

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10249215, Project 2: Microbiome pathobionts and Lupus pathogenesis (5P50AR070591-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10249215. Licensed CC0.

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