The cGAS/STING pathway suppresses TLR-dependent systemic autoimmunity in TMPD-mediated SLE

The purpose of the study was to identify differentially regulated genes between WT MRL/Lpr strain and cGAS deficeint MRL/Lpr strain. We utilized Nanostring technology to analze RNA obtained from spleen of these mice. Total RNA was isolated ( Qiazol; Qiagen) and quantitated via a Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer ( Thermo Scientific). Next, 50 ng of RNA was hybridized and quantified with a custom probe set using t he NanoString nCounter analysis system (NanoString Technologies). Gene-expression data were normalized t o housekeeping genes. All values were scaled by a log2(x – min(x) + 1) function and a heatmap generated using Rbased software.