Trogocytosis — a process in which immune cells directly transfer fragments of their cell-surface membrane to one another during contact — is an emerging area of interest in SLE research. This membrane exchange can alter which surface receptors a cell displays and how it presents antigens, without requiring the cell to synthesize any new proteins. In SLE, trogocytosis has been specifically linked to dysregulation of HLA-G, a molecule that normally helps suppress immune responses and maintain tolerance to self. This is an early-stage area of investigation, but it represents a mechanistically distinct angle on how peripheral immune tolerance breaks down in SLE, separate from the classical autoantibody and interferon pathways.