SLE serum induced transcripts regulated by IFNa2b

To explore the full extent of IFN-regulated transcriptional changes, we exposed monocytes from two healthy donors to recombinant type I IFN (IFN-α2b) in vitro. RNA was extracted at 6 hrs and the expression data was normalized to that of monocytes cultured with medium. Blood monocytes isolated from healthy volunteers were incubated with 20% autologous serum alone or in the presence of 1000 U/ml of IFNα2b (Schering Plough, Kenilworth, NJ) in 6-well plates at a concentration of 106 monocytes per well in 3 ml of media. After incubation for six hours at 37 ⁰C, cells were harvested and RNA was extracted.