Age-dependent functional crosstalk between cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes in a 3D engineered cardiac tissue.

ABSTRACT: Complex heterocellular interactions between cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts in the heart involve their bidirectional signaling via cell-cell contacts, paracrine factors, and extracellular matrix (ECM). These interactions vary with heart development and pathology leading to changes in cardiac structure and function. Whether cardiac fibroblasts of different ages interact differentially with cardiomyocytes to distinctly impact their function remains unknown. Here, we explored the direct structural and functional effects of fetal and adult cardiac fibroblasts on cardiomyocytes using a tissue-engineered 3D co-culture system. We show that the age of cardiac fibroblasts is a strong determinant of the structure, function, and molecular properties of co-cultured tissues. In particular, in vitro expa

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5509073 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature