Association of MicroRNA‐618 Expression With Altered Frequency and Activation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis

Abstract

Up-regulation of miR-618 suppresses the development of PDCs and increases their ability to secrete IFNα, potentially contributing to the type I IFN signature observed in SSc patients. Considering the importance of PDCs in the pathogenesis of SSc and other diseases characterized by a type I IFN signature, miR-618 potentially represents an important epigenetic target to regulate immune system homeostasis in these conditions.