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Basic Signaling in Cardiac Fibroblasts
Author(s) -
Chacar Stéphanie,
Farès Nassim,
Bois Patrick,
Faivre JeanFrançois
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.25624
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , cardiac cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , neuroscience , cardiovascular physiology , fibroblast , cardiac muscle , signal transduction , cell , ion channel , anatomy , endocrinology , in vitro , biochemistry , receptor
Cardiac fibroblasts are commonly known as supporting cells of the cardiac network and exert many essential functions that are fundamental for normal cardiac growth as well as for cardiac remodeling process during pathological conditions. This review focuses on the roles of cardiac fibroblasts in the formation and regulation of the extracellular matrix components, and in maintaining structural, biochemical and mechanical properties of the heart. Additionally, though considered as non‐excitable cells, we review the functional expression in cardiac fibroblasts of a wide variety of transmembrane ion channels which activity may contribute to key regulation of cardiac physiological processes. All together, cardiac fibroblasts which actively participate to fundamental regulation of cardiac physiology and physiopathology processes may represent pertinent targets for pharmacological approaches of cardiac diseases and lead to new tracks of therapeutic strategies. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 725–730, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.