Ex vivo analyses revealed that there were no statistical differences in ex vivo expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Mcl-1 between RA/SLE patients and healthy controls in CD19+ B cell subsets (Fig. 1A–C; for primary data and gating strategy, see Supplemental Fig. 1). This evidence concerns the gene BCL2L1 and rheumatoid arthritis.