Abstract
A longstanding controversy exists regarding the cellular origin of myofibroblasts in tissue fibrosis. A recent study by Hung and colleagues (Am J Respir Crit Care Med 188(7):820–830, 2013) used genetic fate mapping of FoxD1 embryonic progenitor cells to show a major and direct contribution of mesenchymal cells to fibrogenesis in the lung. Future studies using FoxD1-specific inducible knockout models of pro-fibrotic genes such as CCN2 will be valuable for determining anti-fibrotic drug targets. The emergence of pericyte-like myofibroblast precursors also raises the question of whether mesenchymal stem cells in various niches contribute to fibrotic responses throughout the body.
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Tsang, M. Mesenchymal cells emerge as primary contributors to fibrosis in multiple tissues. J. Cell Commun. Signal. 8, 3–4 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-013-0219-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-013-0219-1