As shown in Fig. 3A, knockdown of Cyr61 in RA-FLS cells by siRNA led to increased cell apoptosis compared with RA-FLS cells without transfection (2.8-fold) or RA-FLS cells transfected with control siRNA (2.7-fold; P<0.0001 and P<0.01, respectively; Fig. 3B). This evidence concerns the gene CCN1 and rheumatoid arthritis.