The mesenchymal context in inflammation, immunity and cancer

• Published in: Nature immunology Vol. 21; no. 9; pp. 974 - 982
• Main Authors: Koliaraki, Vasiliki, Prados, Alejandro, Armaka, Marietta, Kollias, George
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.09.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/250/2503; 631/250/256; 631/67/580; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Disease; Disease susceptibility; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix - metabolism; Fibroblasts - immunology; Fibrosis; Health aspects; Heterogeneity; Homeostasis; Humans; Immune response; Immunity; Immunology; Immunomodulation; Immunoregulation; Infectious Diseases; Inflammation; Inflammation - immunology; Inflammatory diseases; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - immunology; Mesenchyme; Mesoderm; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - pathology; Observations; Organ Specificity; Review Article; Stem cells; Stromal cells; Tissues; Greece
• ISSN: 1529-2908; 1529-2916
• DOI: 10.1038/s41590-020-0741-2

Mesenchymal cells are mesoderm-derived stromal cells that are best known for providing structural support to organs, synthesizing and remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM) and regulating development, homeostasis and repair of tissues. Recent detailed mechanistic insights into the biology of fibroblastic mesenchymal cells have revealed they are also significantly involved in immune regulation, stem cell maintenance and blood vessel function. It is now becoming evident that these functions, when defective, drive the development of complex diseases, such as various immunopathologies, chronic inflammatory disease, tissue fibrosis and cancer. Here, we provide a concise overview of the contextual contribution of fibroblastic mesenchymal cells in physiology and disease and bring into focus emerging evidence for both their heterogeneity at the single-cell level and their tissue-specific, spatiotemporal functional diversity. Koliaraki, Prados, Armaka & Kollias review the roles of fibroblastic mesenchymal cells in tissue homeostasis and immunopathologic diseases, including chronic inflammatory disease, tissue fibrosis and cancer.