Fibroblasts are an essential component of the heart, as they play key roles in its structure, development and response to cardiac damage. In this context, a recent study led by the University of Barcelona presents an innovative in vitro model that enables the precise analysis of the activation mechanisms, cellular identity and functional properties of cardiac fibroblasts. These cells are not only fundamental during the embryonic development of the heart, but also play a decisive role in the fibrosis processes associated with various cardiovascular diseases.
This breakthrough, published in the journal Disease Models and Mechanisms , represents the first in vitro model developed in transgenic mice that enables specific isolation of fibroblasts derived from the outer layer of the heart (the epicardium).
This innovative tool enables a more precise analysis of the role of these cells in cardiac fibrosis and, furthermore, paves the way for the screening and development of new therapeutic strategies for which fully effective drug treatments are still lacking.
The study is led by Professor Ofelia Martínez-Estrada, principal investigator at the UB Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB) and a member of the Celltec UB research group at the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at the Faculty of Biology. The first authors are Claudia Müller-Sánchez and María Gertrudis Muñiz-Banciella, also from the Celltec UB group and the IBUB. Co-authors include Professor Manuel Reina, from Celltec UB, and Professor Francesc X. Soriano, from the same research group and the UB Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro).
Cells that play a crucial role in heart development
Over the past few decades, various transgenic mice models have been developed based on WT1 gene expression. This gene is expressed in the epicardium and in epicardium-derived cells during cardiac development, and also plays a key role in the development of the coronary vasculature.
As part of the study, the team developed a triple-transgenic mouse model that enables the tracing and characterization of epicardium-derived fibroblasts using reporter expression of WT1 gene activity.
