In addition, miR-2116-3p was shown to interact with and inhibit PIWIL1 [27], and silencing of PIWIL1 was reported to upregulate FBXW7 [28], which is a component of E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase complex and was observed to induce expression of fibrotic genes including fibronectin during pulmonary fibrosis [29]. Here, PIWIL1 is linked to pulmonary fibrosis.