cDCs from patients with early-stage lcSSc or dcSSc, compared with healthy individuals or patients with long-standing disease, have been shown to produce significantly higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α in response to TLR-mediated activation, highlighting the potential role of cDCs in the early and progressive phases of SSc [102]. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and systemic sclerosis.