Consistent with these findings, Axl and its downstream mediator Socs-3 (ref. 26) were upregulated while inflammatory mediators IL-23 (p19) downregulated in the joint tissue of miR-34a−/− compared to WT mice with experimental arthritis (Fig. 5h,i and Supplementary Fig. 9B). Here, AXL is linked to arthritic joint disease.