Mechanobiology of myofibroblast adhesion in fibrotic cardiac disease.

ABSTRACT: Fibrotic cardiac disease, a leading cause of death worldwide, manifests as substantial loss of function following maladaptive tissue remodeling. Fibrosis can affect both the heart valves and the myocardium and is characterized by the activation of fibroblasts and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Valvular interstitial cells and cardiac fibroblasts, the cell types responsible for maintenance of cardiac extracellular matrix, are sensitive to changing mechanical environments, and their ability to sense and respond to mechanical forces determines both normal development and the progression of disease. Recent studies have uncovered specific adhesion proteins and mechano-sensitive signaling pathways that contribute to the progression of fibrosis. Integrins form adhesions with the extracellul

SUBMITTER: Schroer AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4457157 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature