In the present study, we demonstrated that NKG2D+CD4+ T cells from SLE patients secreted perforin and granzyme B, as well as the Th1-cytokine IFN-γ, mirroring the features of the NKG2D+CD4+ T cells in Crohn’s disease and GPA14, 17. Here, KLRK1 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.