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Molecular and cellular basis of scleroderma

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Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to fibrosis of the skin and involved internal organs. No efficient therapy is currently available. This review summarizes recent progress made in basic as well as clinical science and concludes with a concept that therapy targeting fibrosis in scleroderma needs to take into account the global microenvironment in the skin with its diverse cellular players interacting with a complex extracellular matrix environment and matrix-associated growth factors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all members of the Dermatology Department in Cologne and the SFB 829 for stimulating discussion. Many thanks go to Dr. Monique Aumailley for creative artwork. Our work is supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (KR558 to TK) and through SFB 829 (BE, TK, and GS), Deutsche Stiftung Sklerodermie (NH and PM), Edith Busch Foundation (NH) and by the Koeln Fortune Program/Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne (PM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany

    Beate Eckes, Pia Moinzadeh, Nico Hunzelmann & Thomas Krieg

  2. Center for Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Gerhard Sengle

  3. Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Gerhard Sengle & Thomas Krieg

  4. Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Thomas Krieg

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  1. Beate Eckes
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  2. Pia Moinzadeh
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  3. Gerhard Sengle
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  4. Nico Hunzelmann
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  5. Thomas Krieg
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Correspondence to Thomas Krieg.

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Eckes, B., Moinzadeh, P., Sengle, G. et al. Molecular and cellular basis of scleroderma. J Mol Med 92, 913–924 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-014-1190-x

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