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Two types of fibroblast drive arthritis

Fibroblast cells promote the development of rheumatoid arthritis. The finding that two distinct fibroblast populations affect different aspects of the disease in mice has implications for efforts to develop clinical treatments.
  1. Thomas A. Wynn

    1. Thomas A. Wynn is in the Inflammation and Immunology Research Unit, Pfizer, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

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Fibroblasts are a type of cell found in all tissues of the body. They help to maintain the structural integrity of connective tissues by secreting the protein collagen and other components of the material that comprises the extracellular matrix, which provides support for neighbouring cells1. Despite their crucial role in maintaining a healthy tissue architecture, it is becoming increasingly clear that fibroblasts can also contribute to inflammation and tissue injury in a variety of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis — a condition characterized by persistent inflammation, bone erosion and the destruction of cartilage in the joints2. Writing in Nature, Croft et al.3 report evidence indicating that the progression of rheumatoid arthritis is driven by two populations of fibroblast that have distinct gene-expression profiles, are located in different regions of the joint and contribute to different aspects of the disease.

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Nature 570, 169-170 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01594-9

References

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Competing Interests

T.A.W.’s employer Pfizer has approved products for rheumatoid arthritis.

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