Among others, circulating levels of BAFF and APRIL, which have an important role in selection, maturation and survival of B cells, are a matter of interest for SLE because their production is enhanced in response to B cell activation through Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9, interferons (IFNs), interleukin (IL)-10 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), all involved in SLE pathogenesis (Koyama et al., 2005; Petri et al., 2008; Salazar-Camarena et al., 2016). Here, CSF3 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.