Fundamentally, increased expression levels of αvβ6 integrins correlate with poorer survival in patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [14], and increased levels of mRNA for the β6 subunit gene (ITGB6) correlate with increasing severity in liver fibrosis patients [15], suggesting upregulation of αvβ6 integrins may be an important process in fibrotic diseases. Here, ITGB6 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.