NZM2328 is a spontaneous SLE-prone murine strain that has been extensively used in lupus research.57–59 We found that a sodium chloride-rich diet increased the level of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in NZM2328 mice (Fig. 1f), as well as the pathological changes in lupus nephritis, as manifested by IgG and C3 deposition (Fig. 1g). This evidence concerns the gene C3 and systemic lupus erythematosus.