TLR7 and systemic lupus erythematosus: We further conclude that these two sets of data suggest synergism for a female biased expansion of the TLR7 signaling pathway that could underlie the X chromosome dose effect found in various autoimmune diseases, including SLE (12–15), Sjögren’s disease (13, 16), polymyositis/dermatomyositis (17), and systemic sclerosis (17).