TGFB1 and rheumatoid arthritis: JAK/STAT pathway has been reported to be engaged in innate immunity and adaptive immune responses,375,376 including rheumatoid arthritis,377 Parkinson’s disease,378,379 multiple sclerosis,380 inflammatory bowel disease,381 sepsis,382 liver cirrhosis383 and tumors.384 In the fibrotic process, STAT3 activation triggers ECM deposition and MMPs transcriptional control.385–387 The interactions between TGFβ/JAK/STAT3 fibrosis, independent of Smad, have been identified.373,388 Besides, TGFβ can also function as a target gene of STAT.