Nature | Chen Ting’s Research Team Unveils How Fibroblasts Regulate the Onset of Autoimmune Skin Diseases

Common autoimmune skin diseases often exhibit region-specific patterns of onset. For example, more than 80% of vitiligo patients develop lesions in a bilaterally symmetrical distribution, a type known as non-segmental vitiligo. In vitiligo, self-activated CD8+ T cells attack melanocytes, resulting in depigmented patches on the skin. Globally, 0.5% to 2% of the population is affected by this condition, yet no FDA-approved treatment is currently available. Previous studies have shown that IFN-γ signaling plays a critical role in CD8+ T cell–mediated depigmentation. For more details, please see this link.