It is well established that TGF-β1 acts as a pivotal mediator in diabetic kidney disease given its involvement in renal fibrosis, inflammation, cell growth, apoptosis, and differentiation (Bottinger, 2007; Hills and Squires, 2011; Lan, 2012; Meng et al., 2013). Here, TGFB1 is linked to diabetic kidney disease.