Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a typical systemic 
autoimmune disease characterized by the production of auto 
antibodies reactive to nuclear and cellular components such 
as double-stranded DNA, RNA-proteins and phospholipids. 
The deposition of immune complex to tissues results in 
inflammatory reactions leading to tissue damage and organ 
failures. In recent years, enormous efforts have been 
undertaken to clarify the genetic susceptibility to SLE. To 
date, nearly 30 SLE-susceptibility loci have been mapped 
on the human chromosomes. Mouse models of SLE have 
also been studied and have contributed to the understanding 
of SLE pathogenesis. In this review, we summarize the 
recent knowledge of the SLE susceptibility loci, and we 
describe new insights into the epistatic interaction of closely 
linked polymorphic genes that is likely to play a pivotal role 
in the impaired homeostasis of the immune system in SLE.  

Keywords: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Single 
Nucleotide Polymorphism; Genetic Susceptibility