Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Organ Fibrosis
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Tissues and Organs".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 8558
Special Issue Editors
Interests: organ fibrosis; molecular biology; developmental biology; cell biology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Organ fibrosis is a complex process driven by numerous cell types and molecular processes. The key characteristic of fibrosis is the dysregulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that causes altered tissue structure and impaired organ function. Despite great progress being made in understanding the complex cell and molecular mechanisms which drive fibrosis, treatment options remain limited.
Fibrotic ECM is produced primarily by cells referred to as myofibroblasts, or myofibroblast-like cells. Recent advances in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics have highlighted the heterogeneity that exists within myofibroblast cell populations and within their quiescent precursor populations in unprecedented detail. At the same time, proteomics data are revealing more about the changes that occur within the ECM during fibrosis and linking this to the mechano-sensing pathways that contribute to fibrosis.
Though our understanding of the composition of myofibroblast populations and their surrounding environment has increased, our mechanistic understanding of how each of these sub-populations respond distinctly to injury remains incomplete. Several of these cell types have phenotypic similarities with counterparts in different organs and respond similarly to central cues such as TGFb signaling and organ stiffening. However, several sub-populations of myofibroblasts appear to show distinct transcriptomic profiles which suggest bespoke roles in coordinating the response to injury, regeneration, and scar formation.
In this Special Issue, we invite submissions which build upon our current understanding of the processes that drive organ fibrosis with original research articles as well as reviews of the current state of this compelling area of research.
Dr. James Pritchett
Dr. Elliot Jokl
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- fibrosis
- scarring
- regeneration
- myofibroblast
- extracellular matrix
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