The authors demonstrated that the acetylation levels of histone H3 and H4 are decreased, while the methylation levels of CpG islands are increased, in the promoter region of the FLI1 gene in SSc dermal fibroblasts compared with normal dermal fibroblasts, suggesting that the decrease in FLI1 gene expression contributes to the developmental process of SSc as a potential predisposing factor. This evidence concerns the gene FLI1 and systemic sclerosis.