Furthermore, we also examined whether PCDH19 downregulation in the SSc caused sensory alterations, including increased pain sensitivity, as already described in people with PCDH19-CE39,47 and as a comorbidity of ASD.48 At P14, we observed that pups transfected with Pcdh19 shRNA presented a significantly shorter latency to respond to an acute thermal stimulus than control pups, when placed on a heated plate (Fig. 4I). This evidence concerns the gene PCDH19 and systemic sclerosis.