About this Research Topic
Cardiac fibroblasts have traditionally been considered as the “sentinel cells” of the heart. This term refers to their two main functions in the adult and healthy heart: (1) a structural role as support for other cardiac cells; (2) an immunoregulatory role based on their secretory properties. Moreover, following injury, this cell type was shown to become activated (based on the de novo expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin) and participate in the fibrotic process.
However, in the last years, these axioms have been surpassed. Nowadays, cardiac fibroblasts are known to be a heterogeneous population of cells from a transcriptomic, developmental and functional point of view. The knowledge related to this heterogeneity is key in the understanding of different cardiac pathologies.
High throughput technologies, such as single cell RNA-Sequencing, have demonstrated that cardiac fibroblasts are highly heterogeneous at a transcriptomic level. Each subpopulation of cardiac fibroblast appears at a certain moment and plays a specific role in the pathology. Interestingly, this heterogeneity can also be traced from the development of the heart until adulthood using several transgenic animals. In accordance, all these advances have revealed several differences between fibroblasts biology and pathological responses depending on their location and the environment in the different organs. All these data suggest also a preconditioning derived from their embryonic development, although most of these lineage-tracing tools have been associated to controversy.
Importantly, cardiac fibroblasts are responsible of reparative processes through the regulation of fibrosis. They have a key role as collagen producers and they segregate several cytokines that participate in the communication with other cell types present in the cardiac interstitium, such as cardiomyocytes, endothelial or circulating cells. This role is especially relevant in organisms that show a complete heart regeneration after damage.
Because of that, unravelling their nature, origin and specific roles in both development and during certain pathologies should impact positively in the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac diseases.
In this Research Topic, we would like to welcome submissions that focus on cardiac fibroblast biology in the context of cardiovascular development and disease. More specifically, we are mainly interested in original articles discussing the biology of cardiac fibroblasts in the following areas:
- Heterogeneity: from development to disease
- Lineage tracing tools
- Repair vs regeneration
- Cell-to-cell communication
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms
- Fibroblasts comparison: evolution and organ-specificity
However, in the last years, these axioms have been surpassed. Nowadays, cardiac fibroblasts are known to be a heterogeneous population of cells from a transcriptomic, developmental and functional point of view. The knowledge related to this heterogeneity is key in the understanding of different cardiac pathologies.
High throughput technologies, such as single cell RNA-Sequencing, have demonstrated that cardiac fibroblasts are highly heterogeneous at a transcriptomic level. Each subpopulation of cardiac fibroblast appears at a certain moment and plays a specific role in the pathology. Interestingly, this heterogeneity can also be traced from the development of the heart until adulthood using several transgenic animals. In accordance, all these advances have revealed several differences between fibroblasts biology and pathological responses depending on their location and the environment in the different organs. All these data suggest also a preconditioning derived from their embryonic development, although most of these lineage-tracing tools have been associated to controversy.
Importantly, cardiac fibroblasts are responsible of reparative processes through the regulation of fibrosis. They have a key role as collagen producers and they segregate several cytokines that participate in the communication with other cell types present in the cardiac interstitium, such as cardiomyocytes, endothelial or circulating cells. This role is especially relevant in organisms that show a complete heart regeneration after damage.
Because of that, unravelling their nature, origin and specific roles in both development and during certain pathologies should impact positively in the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac diseases.
In this Research Topic, we would like to welcome submissions that focus on cardiac fibroblast biology in the context of cardiovascular development and disease. More specifically, we are mainly interested in original articles discussing the biology of cardiac fibroblasts in the following areas:
- Heterogeneity: from development to disease
- Lineage tracing tools
- Repair vs regeneration
- Cell-to-cell communication
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms
- Fibroblasts comparison: evolution and organ-specificity
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