In vivo and in vitro use of plasma membrane DNA in the detection and follow-up of systemic lupus erythematosus

Dear Editor,Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the patient’s tissues,resulting in inflammation and damage(Tan et al.,1982).SLE is associated with the presence of abnormally elevated titers of a variety of antibodies,including antibodies to doublestranded(ds)DNA,in the serum(Egner,2000).