Recent developments in myofibroblast biology: paradigms for connective tissue remodeling.

By B. Hinz, S. Phan, V. Thannickal, M. Prunotto, A. Desmoulière, J. Varga, O. De Wever, M. Mareel, G. Gabbiani. American Journal of Pathology, 2012

1,199 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The discovery of the myofibroblast has opened new perspectives for the comprehension of the biological mechanisms involved in wound healing and fibrotic diseases. In recent years, many advances have been made in understanding important aspects of myofibroblast basic biological characteristics. This review summarizes such advances in several fields, such as the following: i) force production by the myofibroblast and mechanisms of connective tissue remodeling; ii) factors controlling the expression of α-smooth muscle actin, the most used marker of myofibroblastic phenotype and, more important, involved in force generation by the myofibroblast; and iii) factors affecting genesis of the myofibroblast and its differentiation from precursor cells, in particular epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, microRNAs, and histone modification. We also review the origin and the specific features of the myofibroblast in diverse fibrotic lesions, such as systemic sclerosis; kidney, liver, and lung fibrosis; and the stromal reaction to certain epithelial tumors. Finally, we summarize the emerging strategies for influencing myofibroblast behavior in vitro and in vivo, with the ultimate goal of an effective therapeutic approach for myofibroblast-dependent diseases.

Subfields: Molecular Biology, Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine, Rheumatology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7acba75557db40f2329c53626d3fd7548e009ea6

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Molecular Biology

1. TA Wynn
2. Maksim V. Plikus
3. Jeremy S. Duffield
4. V. Horsley

In Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

1. TA Wynn
2. Jeremy S. Duffield
3. V. Thannickal
4. Nikolaos G. Frangogiannis

In Rheumatology

1. TA Wynn

Citations in the corpus

• Macrophage plasticity, polarization, and function in health and disease (2018, background): “During resolution, M2 macrophages are a major source of lipid mediators and produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and TGF-β involved in tissue resolution (Das et al., 2015; Ginhoux & Jung, 2014; Hinz et al., 2012; Mantovani et al., 2013).”
• The myofibroblast matrix: implications for tissue repair and fibrosis (2013, neutral): “Myofibroblastsare the primary extracellular matrix (ECM)-secreting cellsduring wound healing and fibrosis, and are largely responsible for the contractility of scar tissue as it matures [1,2].”
• Host Responses in Tissue Repair and Fibrosis (2012, background): “Myofibroblasts, originally described in skin wounds in 1972, are defined biochemically by their expression of actin-myosin proteins shared by smooth muscle cells (SMCs), morphologically by the formation of stress fibers, and physiologically by their ability to contract tissues (5, 6).”
• Fibroblasts: origins, definitions, and functions in health and disease (2021, background): “Although, traditionally, myofibroblasts were thought to be terminally differentiated, accumulating evidence indicates that they are, in fact, temporary and reversible (Hinz et al., 2012).”