Mechanistically, miR-146a acts as a negative regulator of type I IFN production by targeting multiple signaling components downstream of TLR7/9 and the retinoic acid-inducible gene-I pathways, thus its downregulated expression in lupus leukocytes promotes IFN-α production [12,13,14]. This evidence concerns the gene IFNA1 and systemic lupus erythematosus.