Open AccessIntegrin α 1 β 1 is involved in the differentiation into myofibroblasts in adult reactive tissues in vivo
Author(s) -
Rodriguez Alejandro,
Karen Jakob,
Gardner Humphrey,
Gerdin Bengt,
Rubin Kristofer,
Sundberg Christian
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00638.x
Subject(s) - connective tissue , myofibroblast , wound healing , integrin , mesenchymal stem cell , pathology , biology , cellular differentiation , ctgf , microbiology and biotechnology , fibrosis , cell , immunology , growth factor , medicine , receptor , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Connective tissue cell activation is of importance during reactive conditions such as solid tumour growth, wound healing and pannus formation in rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we have compared connective tissue cells of mesenchymal origin in human tissues from these conditions and their normal counterparts using a panel of cell‐type‐specific markers. In particular, we investigated variations of integrin expression among connective tissue cell phenotypes. Connective tissue cell populations were defined based on their association with the microvasculature and their expression of activation markers. The phenotype of these cells varied according to the type of pathological connective tissue examined. Our morphological data from human tissues suggested that the α 1 β 1 integrin, a collagen/laminin receptor, is involved in the differentiation of precursor cells into myofibroblasts. To mechanistically investigate this hypothesis, we employed experimental models for carcinoma growth and wound healing utilizing α 1 integrin‐deficient mice. The data confirmed that the α 1 β 1 integrin is of importance not only for the differentiation of mesenchymal cells into myofibroblasts but also for the neovascularization and connective tissue organization and emphasize the importance of myofibroblasts in the pathophysiology of tissue repair, inflammation and tumour growth.