Abstract

Although fibroblasts are dormant in normal tissue, they exhibit explosive activation during wound healing and perpetual activation in pathologic fibrosis and cancer stroma. The key regulatory network controlling these fibroblast dynamics is still unknown. Here, we report that Twist1, a key regulator of cancer-associated fibroblasts, directly upregulates Prrx1, which, in turn, increases the expression of Tenascin-C (TNC). TNC also increases Twist1 expression, consequently forming a Twist1-Prrx1-TNC positive feedback loop (PFL). Systems biology studies reveal that the Twist1-Prrx1-TNC PFL can function as a bistable ON/OFF switch and regulates fibroblast activation. This PFL can be irreversibly activated under pathologic conditions, leading to perpetual fibroblast activation. Sustained activation of the Twist1-Prrx1-TNC PFL reproduces fibrotic nodules similar to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in vivo and is implicated in fibrotic disease and cancer stroma. Considering that this PFL is specific to activated fibroblasts, Twist1-Prrx1-TNC PFL may be a fibroblast-specific therapeutic target to deprogram perpetually activated fibroblasts.

Details

Title
A positive feedback loop bi-stably activates fibroblasts
Author
So-Young, Yeo 1 ; Keun-Woo, Lee 1 ; Shin, Dongkwan 2 ; An, Sugyun 2 ; Cho, Kwang-Hyun 2 ; Seok-Hyung, Kim 3 

 Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea 
 Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea 
 Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Single Cell Network Research Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwona, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea 
Pages
1-16
Publication year
2018
Publication date
Aug 2018
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2081526434
Copyright
© 2018. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.