Signalling Mechanisms Regulating Cardiac Fibroblast Function
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 47
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cardiac reprogramming; epigenetics; reprogramming; molecular biology; single-cell
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cardiac fibroblasts represent a major cell population in the heart, playing essential roles in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, intercellular communication, and tissue repair. In healthy myocardium, fibroblasts maintain homeostasis through balanced ECM turnover and paracrine signaling. However, under stress or injury, these cells undergo activation into myofibroblasts, leading to excessive ECM deposition, fibrosis, and impaired cardiac function. Understanding the signaling pathways that govern fibroblast behavior is therefore essential for uncovering mechanisms of both physiological adaptation and pathological remodeling.
This Special Issue will focus on the signaling mechanisms that control cardiac fibroblast activation, communication, and function across health, injury, and repair. We particularly welcome contributions that dissect intracellular pathways (e.g., TGF-β/SMAD, MAPK, PI3K-AKT, Hippo-YAP, Wnt) and their integration with extracellular and mechanical cues. Manuscripts highlighting fibroblast heterogeneity, single-cell and spatial insights, cross-talk with cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and immune cells, as well as novel therapeutic strategies to target fibroblast signaling, are strongly encouraged.
We invite original research articles and reviews that bring together emerging insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating cardiac fibroblast function. By consolidating these emerging insights, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive resource on how fibroblast signaling contributes to cardiac pathology and to highlight new opportunities for therapeutic intervention in cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Haofei Wang
Dr. Yanhan Dong
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cardiac fibroblasts
- myofibroblast activation
- extracellular matrix remodeling
- fibrosis
- intercellular communication
- mechanotransduction
- single-cell and spatial insights
- regeneration
- therapeutic targeting
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