Erratum to: Rheumatol Int DOI 10.1007/s00296-012-2543-9

Based on the request of the authors, a few inadvertently introduced errors were rectified from the online published article. The revised text of an abstract and introduction is as follows:

Abstract The main objective of this study is to investigate the relative expression of miRNA 17-5p and one of its target genes E2F1 in the peripheral blood of systemic lupus erythematosus pediatric patients. The expression of miRNA 17-5p and its target E2F1 mRNA was analyzed by TaqMan real-time qPCR. Our results showed significant downregulation of miRNA 17-5p in SLE patients compared to healthy controls; moreover, miRNA 17-5p was more downregulated in patients on no treatment compared to those on treatment. Relative expression of E2F1, which is a target for miRNA 17-5p, was significantly downregulated as well on both mRNA and protein levels in SLE pediatric patients. In conclusion, our data show an unexpected dual downregulation of both miRNA 17-5p and its target gene E2F1 on the mRNA and protein levels. This may suggest an expression pattern of miRNA 17-5p and its target E2F1 that may be specific to SLE.

Correction to the first sentence of the introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that bind to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of their target mRNA to affect the translation or stability of transcripts [1].