Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
PLoS Biol. 2023 Feb 6;21(2):e3001954. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001954. eCollection 2023 Feb.
Fibroblasts are known for their ability to make and modify the extracellular matrix. However, there is more to them than meets the eye. It is now clear that they help define tissue microenvironments and support immune responses in organs. As technology advances, we have started to uncover the secrets of fibroblasts. In this Essay, we present fibroblasts as not only the builders and renovators of tissue environments but also the rheostat cells for immune circuits. Although they perform location-specific functions, they do not have badges of fixed identity. Instead, they display a spectrum of functional states and can swing between these states depending on the needs of the organ. As fibroblasts participate in a range of activities both in health and disease, finding the key factors that alter their development and functional states will be an important goal to restore homeostasis in maladapted tissues.
成纤维细胞以其合成和修饰细胞外基质的能力而闻名。然而，它们的作用不仅仅如此。现在已经清楚的是，它们有助于确定组织微环境，并在器官中支持免疫反应。随着技术的进步，我们开始揭开成纤维细胞的秘密。在这篇文章中，我们将成纤维细胞不仅视为组织环境的建设者和改造者，还视为免疫回路的变阻器细胞。尽管它们执行特定位置的功能，但它们没有固定身份的标志。相反，它们表现出一系列功能状态，并可以根据器官的需求在这些状态之间切换。由于成纤维细胞在健康和疾病中参与了一系列活动，因此找到改变其发育和功能状态的关键因素将是恢复适应不良组织内稳态的重要目标。
