CX3CL1 and rheumatoid arthritis: In contrast to the downregulated NTT observed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated THP-1 cells, the C/EBPβ/NTT/PBOV1 axis was found to be hyperactivated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of first-time diagnosed untreated early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and their gene expression levels decreased markedly after treatment.