Long-range regulatory elements for CXCR5 have not been previously identified, and the -180 kb SLE-associated element is the first validated for CXCR5. Deletion of this element led to increased expression of CXCR5, suggesting that unlike the distal BCL6-LPP enhancer, this element is a silencer in Jurkat cells. This evidence concerns the gene BCL6 and systemic lupus erythematosus.