Fibro/adipogenic progenitors safeguard themselves: a novel mechanism to reduce fibrosis is discovered.
Osvaldo ContrerasEnrique BrandanPublished in: Journal of cell communication and signaling (2016)
PDGFRα regulates several cellular processes, and exacerbated PDGF signaling cause fibrosis in different tissues. Different research groups have shown that fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are responsible for pathological fibrosis found in skeletal muscle disorders. Rando's Lab describes that an intronic polyadenylation of Pdgfra regulates FAPs activity, and therefore fibrosis. This discovery opens a new potential target for treating fibrosis.