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Updated: May 7, 2026

Isolation of Type I and Type II Pericytes from Mouse Skeletal Muscles
10:07

Isolation of Type I and Type II Pericytes from Mouse Skeletal Muscles

Published on: May 26, 2017

Origins of fibrosis: pericytes take centre stage

Stephen N Greenhalgh1, John P Iredale, Neil C Henderson

  • 1MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ UK.

F1000Prime Reports
|September 20, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Pericytes, crucial perivascular cells, are identified as key precursors to myofibroblasts. This finding is vital for understanding and treating tissue fibrosis, a widespread disease with limited therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Tissue Engineering
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Fibrotic diseases pose a significant global health challenge with few effective treatments.
  • Myofibroblasts are central to fibrosis due to their role in extracellular matrix deposition.
  • Understanding myofibroblast origins is critical for developing anti-fibrotic therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cellular origins of myofibroblasts, particularly in the context of tissue fibrosis.
  • To highlight the role of pericytes as potential precursors to fibrogenic myofibroblasts.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing genetic fate-mapping strategies to trace cell lineages.
  • Permanent and heritable expression of reporter proteins in specific cell populations.

Main Results:

  • Recent studies across multiple organs indicate pericytes are a significant source of myofibroblasts.
  • Fate-mapping data supports pericytes as direct precursors in fibrotic processes.

Conclusions:

  • Pericytes play a central role in the development of fibrosis.
  • Targeting pericyte differentiation may offer novel therapeutic strategies for fibrotic diseases.

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