One cross-sectional study found RA patients’ CD4+ T cells had lower expression of miR-146a (a miRNA with anti-inflammatory roles) compared to controls, and this was associated with increased expression of miR-146a targets involved in chromatin remodeling and inflammation (such as IRAK1, and STAT1; though DNA methylation was not directly measured in that study) (48, 49). Here, CD4 is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.