Similar to previous studies that have demonstrated notably elevated IL-17 protein levels in the serum of AMD patients and in RPE cells which constitutively expressed IL-17 receptors i.e., IL17 RA, IL-17RC, and ACT1 [128], we found that IL-17 protein levels were increased by 145.7 % in AMD plasma and were 101.4 % higher in AMD RPE cybrid cells compared to controls. This evidence concerns the gene TRAF3IP2 and rheumatoid arthritis.