Caveolin-1, a protein associated with plasma membrane invaginations known as caveolae and with other cellular membranes is underexpressed on various cell types from healthy AA and SSc patients including fibroblasts and monocytes (Tourkina et al., 2005, 2008, 2010; Del Galdo et al., 2008). Here, CAV1 is linked to systemic sclerosis.