Assessment of gene expression in the blood of 21 seropositive RA patients showed that their mTOR and ULK1 levels were similar to those in healthy subjects at baseline, while the other examined genes, p21, caspase-3, TNFα, MMP-9, and cathepsin K, were significantly upregulated (Figure 1). The gene discussed is MMP9; the disease is rheumatoid arthritis.