The Lupus-Related Lmb3 Locus Contains a Disease-Suppressing Coronin-1A Gene Mutation

SummaryHere, we show that a lupus-suppressing locus is caused by a nonsense mutation of the filamentous actin-inhibiting Coronin-1A gene. This mutation was associated with developmental and functional alterations in T cells including reduced migration, survival, activation, and Ca2+ flux. T-dependent humoral responses were impaired, but no intrinsic B cell defects were detected. By transfer of T cells, it was shown that suppression of autoimmunity could be accounted for by the presence of the Coro1aLmb3 mutation in T cells. Our results demonstrate that Coronin-1A is required for the development of systemic lupus and identify actin-cytoskeleton regulatory proteins as potential targets for modulating autoimmune diseases.