ACOD1 and lupus nephritis: Consistent with these results, we found that, in kidneys from NZB/W F1 mice, a model of spontaneous severe lupus that we had previously shown improves with exogenous analogs of itaconate, Acod1 mRNA expression was decreased as disease progressed (10 to 30 week-old mice), suggesting that ACOD1 absence may modulate the development and progression of lupus nephritis (Fig. 4e).