title: Type II diabetes promotes a myofibroblast phenotype in cardiac fibroblasts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for individuals diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus (DM). Changes in cardiac function, left ventricular wall thickness and fibrosis have all been described in patients and animal models of diabetes; however, the factors mediating increased matrix deposition remain unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether cardiac fibroblast function is altered in a rat model of type II DM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac fibroblasts were isolated from 14 week old Zucker diabetic and lean control (LC) adult male rat hearts. Fibroblasts were examined for their ability to remodel 3-dimensional collagen matrices, their adhesion, migration and proliferation on collagen and changes in gene expression associated with collagen remodeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cardiac fibroblasts from diabetic animals demonstrated significantly greater ability to contract 3-dimensional collagen matrices compared to cardiac fibroblasts from LC animals. The enhanced contractile behavior was associated with an increase in diabetic fibroblast proliferation and elevated expression of α-smooth muscle actin and type I collagen, suggesting the transformation of diabetic fibroblasts into a myofibroblast phenotype.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiac fibrosis is a common complication in diabetic cardiomyopathy which may contribute to the observed cardiac dysfunction associated with this disease. Identifying and understanding the changes in fibroblast behavior which contribute to the increased deposition of collagen and other matrix proteins may provide novel therapeutic targets for reducing the devastating effects of diabetes on the heart.
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States.
authors: Vennece
authors: V
authors: Fowlkes
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Clark
authors: Charity
authors: C
authors: Fix
authors: Brittany A
authors: BA
authors: Law
authors: Mary O
authors: MO
authors: Morales
authors: Xian
authors: X
authors: Qiao
authors: Kayla
authors: K
authors: Ako-Asare
authors: Jack G
authors: JG
authors: Goldsmith
authors: Wayne
authors: W
authors: Carver
authors: David B
authors: DB
authors: Murray
authors: Edie C
authors: EC
authors: Goldsmith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats