Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Myofibroblasts: molecular crossdressers.

G A Walker1, I A Guerrero, L A Leinwand

  • 1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, USA.

Current Topics in Developmental Biology
|March 10, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Myofibroblasts are versatile mesenchymal cells crucial for tissue development and repair. They possess unique muscle-like and non-muscle characteristics, maintaining an intermediate cell state.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Continuous Hyperfractionated Accelerated Radiotherapy (CHART) for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): 7 Years' Experience From Nine UK Centres.

Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain))·2018
Same author

Sex-based differences in skeletal muscle kinetics and fiber-type composition.

Physiology (Bethesda, Md.)·2015
Same author

Radiotherapy as sole adjuvant treatment for older patients with low-risk breast cancer.

Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland)·2012
Same author

Mr. Walker's Petition on Intramural Sepulture.

Provincial medical & surgical journal·2011
Same author

Gene transfer into cardiac myocytes in vivo.

Trends in cardiovascular medicine·2011
Same author

Membrane mirror and bias electronics.

Applied optics·2008

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Tissue Engineering

Background:

  • Myofibroblasts are mesenchymal cells with dual muscle and non-muscle properties.
  • They play vital roles in embryonic development, tissue homeostasis, and wound healing.
  • Their unique characteristics are key to forming functional adult tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the biology of myofibroblasts.
  • To investigate the origin and molecular mechanisms of myofibroblasts.
  • To understand how myofibroblasts maintain an intermediate cell state.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of cytoskeletal protein expression.
  • Assessment of contractile properties.
  • Examination of myogenic regulatory protein expression (e.g., MyoD).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Myofibroblasts exhibit distinct cytoskeletal protein expression and contractile functions.
  • These cells express skeletal muscle proteins like sarcomeric myosin heavy chain and MyoD.
  • Despite expressing myogenic proteins, myofibroblasts do not terminally differentiate into skeletal muscle.

Conclusions:

  • Myofibroblasts possess a unique cellular phenotype bridging muscle and non-muscle characteristics.
  • Understanding their molecular regulation is essential for tissue repair and development.
  • Further research into myofibroblast biology can inform therapeutic strategies for tissue regeneration.