In Tong and colleagues’ study, genes encoding for apoptosis (TGM2, IGFBP3 and DUSP1) and stress-inducible transcription regulator genes (ATF3, BTG2, EGR1, ERG2, FOS, JUN, NR4A1 and NR4A2) were down-regulated in pterygium, reinforcing the over-proliferative tendency in pterygium46. The gene discussed is ATF3; the disease is pterygium.