Skeletal muscle fibroblasts in health and disease.
As the primary producer of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in skeletal muscle, fibroblasts play an important role providing structural support to muscle. Skeletal muscle ECM is vital for force transduction from muscle cells to tendons and bones to create movement. It is these ECM connections that allow the movement created in muscle to be transmitted to our skeleton. This review discusses how fibroblasts participate in maintaining this healthy ECM within skeletal muscle. Additionally, from a basic science perspective, we discuss current methods to identify and study skeletal muscle fibroblasts, as this is critical to bettering our understanding of these important cells. Finally, skeletal muscle fibrosis is discussed, which is a devastating clinical condition characterized by an overproduction of ECM within skeletal muscle. We discuss the role that fibroblasts and other cells play in muscle fibrosis as well as the implications of this work.
Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
Mark A
MA
Chapman
Department of Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
Rachel
R
Meza
Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0863, United States; Department of Veteran's Affairs, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0863, United States; Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 345 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States. Electronic address: rlieber@ric.org.
Richard L
RL
Lieber
D000818:Animals; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000295:instrumentation; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*
D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins