Interestingly, multiple recent studies have shown that PU.1 is involved in the development of many autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and affects the pathogenic course of these diseases by influencing the function of a variety of immune cells. This evidence concerns the gene SPI1 and autoimmune disease.