Despite our findings that STAT4 does not overtly affect Spt-AFC and -GC and various CD4+ effector T cell responses, we investigated whether STAT4 may play a role in the hallmark kidneymanifestations of SLE-prone mice, particularly given the previous observations showing acceleration of kidney disease in one model (35) and amelioration in the other SLE model deficient in STAT4 (34). The gene discussed is STAT4; the disease is systemic lupus erythematosus.