Tracking Adventitial Fibroblast Contribution to Disease: A Review of Current Methods to Identify Resident Fibroblasts
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Published on: March 12, 2020
Jill T Kuwabara1, Michelle D Tallquist2
1From the Center for Cardiovascular Research, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Insights
Adventitial fibroblasts in blood vessels are key to vascular diseases. This article reviews genetic tools in mice for identifying these cells, crucial for understanding disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Adventitial cells, particularly fibroblasts, play a significant role in vascular diseases like atherosclerosis and hypertension.
- The adventitia contains diverse cell populations, necessitating precise identification methods for fibroblasts.
- Understanding adventitial fibroblast function is critical for developing effective disease treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of genetic tools available in mice for studying resident adventitial fibroblasts.
- To highlight the importance of uniquely identifying adventitial cell types for disease research.
- To discuss the advantages and limitations of genetic tools, specifically Cre-recombinase based lineage tracing, in vascular disease studies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on genetic tools for cell identification in mice.
- Focus on lineage tracing techniques utilizing Cre-recombinase expressing mouse models.
- Analysis of methods for distinguishing adventitial cell populations.
Main Results:
- Genetic tools, particularly lineage tracing, are instrumental in distinguishing adventitial cell types.
- Cre-recombinase based systems offer powerful means to track and manipulate adventitial fibroblasts.
- The diversity of adventitial cell populations requires sophisticated genetic approaches for accurate study.
Conclusions:
- Accurate identification of adventitial fibroblasts using genetic tools is essential for advancing vascular disease research.
- Cre-recombinase mediated lineage tracing provides valuable insights into fibroblast roles in vascular pathologies.
- Further exploration of genetic tools will enhance our understanding of adventitial cell contributions to disease.
Abstract:
Cells present in the adventitia, or outermost layer of the blood vessel, contribute to the progression of vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and aortic dissection. The adventitial fibroblast of the aorta is the prototypic perivascular fibroblast, but the adventitia is composed of multiple distinct cell populations. Therefore, methods for uniquely identifying the fibroblast are critical for a better understanding of how these cells contribute to disease processes. A popular method for distinguishing adventitial cell types relies on the use of genetic tools in the mouse to trace and manipulate these cells. Because lineage tracing relying on Cre-recombinase expressing mice is used more frequently in studies of vascular disease, it is important to outline the advantages and limitations of these genetic tools. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the various genetic tools available in the mouse for the study of resident adventitial fibroblasts.
