Yin and Yang: CCN3 inhibits the pro-fibrotic effects of CCN2.
Fibrotic disease is a significant cause of mortality. CCN2 (connective tissue growth factor [CTGF]), a member of the CCN family of matricellular proteins, plays a significant role in driving the fibrogenic effects of cytokines such as transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta). It has been proposed that other members of the CCN family can either promote or antagonize the action of CCN2, depending on the context. A recent elegant study published by Bruce Riser and colleagues (Am J Pathol. 174:1725-34, 2009) illustrates that CCN3 (nov) antagonizes the fibrogenic effects of CCN2. This paper, the subject of this commentary, raises the intriguing possibility that CCN3 may be used as a novel anti-fibrotic therapy.
Leask
Andrew
A
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling, Division of Oral Biology and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada, andrew.leask@schulich.uwo.ca.