Whereas this study provides the first report concerning the expression of TGFBR1 in human arthritis, the type II receptor [22] and endoglin (a receptor for TGF-β1 and 3) [20] have been reported to be more strongly expressed in RA SM than in OA SM or normal SM, showing the relevance of TGF-β-signaling in RA. Here, TGFB1 is linked to arthritic joint disease.