Elevated soluble fas production in SLE correlates with HLA status not with disease activity.

Evidence from animal models of lupus suggests that disruption of Fas-mediated apoptotic events may play a role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The recently described secreted from of Fas (sFas) could interfere with apoptotic events by blockading Fas/Fas ligand interactions. We describe elevated secreted Fas protein in sera from 60 patients with SLE compared with controls but neither sFas protein nor sFas mRNA levels correlated with disease activity. At the mRNA level there is strong evidence that individuals with human leucocyte antigens common in SLE patients have a genetic predisposition for increased secreted Fas production.