Finally, we also found that members of the TGF-β and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling pathways promote Brucella infection, as their depletion decreased the amount of intracellular Brucella. Interestingly, it has previously been reported that patients with brucellosis show higher TGF-β1 serum levels, a finding that is correlated with depressed T cell function (56). The gene discussed is TGFB1; the disease is brucellosis.