Figure 1

Hierarchical clustering of plasma and blister fluid samples. Heat maps of blister fluid (a) and plasma (b) for systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients characterised as limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (LcSSc) or diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (DcSSc). Blister fluid analysis was associated with clustering of SSc patients into three groups; Group 1, mainly DcSSc and characterised as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and IL-1α high (innate inflammatory); Group 2, mainly DcSSc, and interferon gamma (IFNγ), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-3, IL-12p40 and IL-12p70 high (T lymphocyte, adaptive inflammatory); Group3, LcSSc and DcSSc, low levels of cytokines and chemokines (quiescent). Plasma analysis did not clearly cluster and in general did not correlate with the blister fluid analysis. EGF, epidermal growth factor; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; GCSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; GMCSF, granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor; IL-1RA, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, MIP, macrophage inflammatory protein; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; RANTES, regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted; TGFβ, transforming growth factor beta; VEGF, vascular endothelial cell growth factor.