β-III tubulin identifies anti-fibrotic state of pericytes in pulmonary fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: Pericytes have been implicated in pulmonary fibrosis, yet their activated cellular states and functional roles remain largely unclear. Here, we identified β-III tubulin (Tuj1) as a distinctive marker for fibrosis-associated lung pericytes. Most pericytes in fibrotic regions are Tuj1-positive and interact uniquely with multiple endothelial cells, localizing near collagen-producing fibroblasts and pro-fibrotic SPP1⁺/arginase⁺ macrophages. Tuj1 expression is predominantly induced in pericytes during the fibrotic phase, and Tuj1 gene (Tubb3) knockout in mice exacerbates lung fibrosis, accompanied by an increase in the neighboring pro-fibrotic fibroblasts and macrophages, suggesting an anti-fibrotic role for Tuj1-expressing pericytes. Mechanistically, the anti-fibro

SUBMITTER: Sato R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12190747 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature