{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T05:37:45Z","timestamp":1780637865114,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773792000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001711","name":"Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur F\u00f6rderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001711","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background and Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by the development of autoantibodies against multiple antigens, including complement C1q, starter molecule of the classical pathway. Anti-C1q autoantibodies (anti-C1q) are not only a biomarker of disease activity but believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of proliferative lupus nephritis. Previous studies demonstrated that a key immunogenic site of C1q (so-called \u2018A08\u2019) shares an identical sequence with Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV) Nuclear antigen-1, and that anti-C1q can be induced by this EBV antigenic site\n                      <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                      .\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We investigated whether an EBV-derived antigen can trigger a cross-reactive anti-C1q response in lupus-prone mice and enhance renal pathology. Mertk-deficient mice, which exhibit a defective clearance of apoptotic cells, were immunized with EBV-derived peptide. Antibody responses against the EBV antigen, intact C1q and the C1q-derived antigenic site A08 were determined, and renal pathology was assessed histologically and by electron microscopy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The immunization with EBV antigen led to the generation of antibodies recognizing the C1q-derived antigen A08 in most, and the formation of anti-C1q with binding characteristics as occurring in SLE patients in a substantial subset of mice. Generation of anti-C1q was associated with accelerated mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis and increased glomerular IgG and complement deposition.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our findings demonstrate that EBV-derived peptides can elicit pathogenic anti-C1q via molecular mimicry, thereby exacerbating renal disease in lupus-prone mice. The data provide mechanistic evidence for how an EBV antigen can accelerate SLE progression, and confirm the concept of anti-C1q being a driver of lupus nephritis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1710424","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T07:01:40Z","timestamp":1773817300000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Epstein Barr virus antigen-induced autoantibodies against complement C1q exacerbate renal disease in lupus-prone mice"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Eylul","family":"Tuncer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel","place":["Basel, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Solange","family":"Moll","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic, University Hospital of Geneva","place":["Geneva, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denise","family":"Dubler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel","place":["Basel, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristina","family":"Schulz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel","place":["Basel, Switzerland"]},{"name":"Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel","place":["Basel, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marten","family":"Trendelenburg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel","place":["Basel, Switzerland"]},{"name":"Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel","place":["Basel, 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