Transient fibrosis resolves via fibroblast inactivation in the regenerating zebrafish heart

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 115; no. 16; pp. 4188 - 4193
• Main Authors: Sánchez-Iranzo, Héctor, Galardi-Castilla, María, Sanz-Morejón, Andrés, González-Rosa, Juan Manuel, Costa, Ricardo, Ernst, Alexander, de Aja, Julio Sainz, Langa, Xavier, Mercader, Nadia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 17.04.2018
• Subjects: Ablation; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Base Sequence; Biological Sciences; Cardiomyocytes; Cell Adhesion Molecules - biosynthesis; Cell Lineage; Cell proliferation; Cold Temperature - adverse effects; Collagen; Collagen Type XII - biosynthesis; Collagen Type XII - genetics; Cryoinjury; Danio rerio; Deactivation; Endocardium - pathology; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix - metabolism; Fibers; Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - physiology; Fibrosis; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Genes, Reporter; Heart; Heart - physiology; Heart Injuries - genetics; Heart Injuries - physiopathology; Inactivation; Myocardium - pathology; Myocytes, Cardiac - metabolism; Myocytes, Cardiac - pathology; Proteins; Regeneration; Regeneration - physiology; Regression analysis; Regrowth; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; Transcriptome; Zebrafish; Zebrafish Proteins - biosynthesis; Zebrafish Proteins - genetics; cardiomyocyte proliferation; fibrosis; zebrafish; heart regeneration; fibroblast inactivation
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1716713115

In the zebrafish (Danio rerio), regeneration and fibrosis after cardiac injury are not mutually exclusive responses. Upon cardiac cryoinjury, collagen and other extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins accumulate at the injury site. However, in contrast to the situation in mammals, fibrosis is transient in zebrafish and its regression is concomitant with regrowth of the myocardial wall. Little is known about the cells producing this fibrotic tissue or how it resolves. Using novel genetic tools to mark periostin b- and collagen 1alpha2 (col1a2)-expressing cells in combination with transcriptome analysis, we explored the sources of activated fibroblasts and traced their fate. We describe that during fibrosis regression, fibroblasts are not fully eliminated but become inactivated. Unexpectedly, limiting the fibrotic response by genetic ablation of col1a2-expressing cells impaired cardiomyocyte proliferation. We conclude that ECM-producing cells are key players in the regenerative process and suggest that antifibrotic therapies might be less efficient than strategies targeting fibroblast inactivation.