IRF5 and systemic lupus erythematosus: Regardless of the specific mechanism involved, the finding that alternatively spliced isoforms have increased stability in TLR7-stimulated cells is of particular relevance in the context of SLE, since elevated levels and activity of spliceosome components have been observed in PBMCs from SLE patients indicating therefore that the more stable alternatively spliced IRF5 isoforms (IRF5-V2 and -V3) may be over-represented in SLE patients’ immune cells [12].