McCoy SS, et al. – The scientists explored the ability of systemic scleroderma (SSc) keratinocytes to promote fibroblast activation and the source of this effect. They described that scleroderma keratinocytes promote the activation of fibroblasts in a TGF–β–independent manner and demonstrate an imbalance in nuclear factor κB–1 (NF–κB1) and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (PPAR–γ) expression leading to increased cytokine and CCL5 production.