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Renal studies provide an insight into cardiac extracellular matrix remodeling during health and disease

Alexandre Hertig1, Taduri Gangadhar, Raghu Kalluri

  • 1Division of Matrix Biology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
|August 4, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Heart and kidney injuries trigger fibrotic remodeling through cell transitions like EMT and EndMT. Future therapies may target shared mechanisms for tissue repair and improved organ function.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular and Renal Pathophysiology
  • Tissue Remodeling and Fibrogenesis

Background:

  • Myocardial infarction and kidney injury initiate inflammatory processes leading to fibrotic remodeling and organ dysfunction.
  • Abnormal extracellular matrix deposition is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease and cardiac remodeling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the shared mechanisms of injury and fibrogenesis in the heart and kidney.
  • To highlight recent advances in understanding matrix remodeling and potential therapeutic targets.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent literature on cardiac and renal injury.
  • Analysis of cellular plasticity, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT).
  • Investigation of the role of the fibrinolytic system and stem cell integration in tissue repair.

Main Results:

  • Epithelial and endothelial cells actively contribute to fibrogenesis via EMT and EndMT.
  • Fibrinolytic system components exhibit novel interactions with cellular receptors and integrins.
  • Stem cell integration is a newly recognized factor in tissue repair following injury.

Conclusions:

  • The heart and kidney share common injury mechanisms contributing to fibrotic remodeling.
  • Understanding these shared pathways, including EMT, EndMT, and stem cell roles, offers potential for novel, common therapeutic strategies.
  • Targeting matrix remodeling processes presents a promising avenue for treating both cardiac and renal diseases.

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