TGF-β1 is highly active in IPF and promotes fibroblast activation and ECM production; therefore, fibroblasts derived from lung tissue of controls (control fibroblasts) or patients with IPF (IPF fibroblasts) were subjected to 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 48 hours to investigate whether it up-regulates mRNA expression of COL7A1 and other relevant genes. Here, COL7A1 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.