Origins of cardiac fibroblasts.
Cardiac fibroblasts play a critical role in maintenance of normal cardiac function. They are indispensable for damage control and tissue remodeling on myocardial injury and principal mediators of pathological cardiac remodeling and fibrosis. Despite their manyfold functions, cardiac fibroblasts remain poorly characterized in molecular terms. Evidence is evolving that cardiac fibroblasts are a heterogeneous population and likely derive from various distinct tissue niches in health and disease. Here, we review our emerging understanding of where cardiac fibroblasts come from, as well as how we can possibly use this knowledge to develop novel therapies for cardiac fibrosis.
Division of Matrix Biology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Elisabeth M
EM
Zeisberg
Raghu
R
Kalluri
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology
D015415:Biomarkers