More precise evidence from genome-wide studies shows that SLE patients have mutations in the three prime repair exonuclease 1 (TREX1), autophagy-related 5 (ATG5), RAD518, and deoxyribonuclease I (DNASE1) genes, which are involved in the degradation of DNA, cell apoptosis and the elimination of cellular debris (3). Here, ATG5 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.