EXPRESSION OF CONCERN : Induction of Scleroderma Fibrosis in Skin‐humanized Mice by Administration of Anti−platelet‐derived Growth Factor Receptor Agonistic Autoantibodies

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN : M. M. Luchetti, G. Moroncini, M. Jose Escamez, S. Svegliati Baroni, T. Spadoni, A. Grieco, C. Paolini, A. Funaro, E. V. Avvedimento, F. Larcher, M. Del Rio, and A. Gabrielli, “Induction of Scleroderma Fibrosis in Skin‐humanized Mice by Administration of Anti–platelet‐derived Growth Factor Receptor Agonistic Autoantibodies,” Arthritis & Rheumatology 68, no. 9 (2016): 2263–2273, https://doi.org/10.1002/art.39728 . This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 25 April 2016 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor‐in‐Chief, S. Louis Bridges, Jr.; the American College of Rheumatology; and Wiley Periodicals LLC. Concerns were raised by a third party on PubPeer [1] regarding a high level of similarity between the beta‐actin bands in Figures 1C and 2B. Additional investigation by the publisher also found that there was evidence of splicing in the PDGFR‐alpha band in Figure 3B. The authors responded to an inquiry by the publisher and shared original data. However, original data were not available for the bands originally published in Figure 3B, and the authors supplied data from replicate experiments performed during the same period of the original experiments. A review of these data found that not all of the data could be verified. Therefore, this Expression of Concern has been agreed to in order to inform and alert readers as to the results of this investigation. The authors have been informed of the Expression of Concern. REFERENCE 1. Psychotria siamica. Comments on “Induction of Scleroderma Fibrosis in Skin‐Humanized Mice by Administration of Anti–Platelet‐Derived Growth Factor Receptor Agonistic Autoantibodies,” PubPeer, November 2025. https://pubpeer.com/publications/33B47982F70FD05FFA5D7CE38D417A .