SERPINB3 is deeply involved in the control of apoptotic cell death (11, 20), which is markedly impaired in patients with SLE (12), and was shown to up-regulate TGF-β by autocrine and paracrine pathways (13, 14, 21), hinting at a global pro-fibrogenic and anti-inflammatory effect. Here, TGFB1 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.