Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess whether differences in methylation levels had any effect on the expression of c8orf4. Our results demonstrated that both IPF and SSc fibroblasts on average had 2.5- and 5.5-fold lower levels, respectively, of c8orf4 mRNA compared with control fibroblasts (Figure 4F). Here, TCIM is linked to systemic sclerosis.