Cited by 339Cardiac Fibrosis and RemodelingCongenital heart defects researchTransplantation: Methods and Outcomes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 76 of the 76 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 38 of the 46 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Targeting immune–fibroblast cell communication in heart failure

Open access

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Inflammation and tissue fibrosis co-exist and are causally linked to organ dysfunction 1,2. However, the molecular mechanisms driving immune-fibroblast cell communication in human cardiac disease remain unexplored and there are at present no approved treatments that directly target cardiac fibrosis 3,4. Here we performed multiomic single-cell gene expression, epitope mapping and chromatin accessibility profiling in 45 healthy donor, acutely infarcted and chronically failing human hearts. We identified a disease-associated fibroblast trajectory that diverged into distinct populations reminiscent of myofibroblasts and matrifibrocytes, the latter expressing fibroblast activator protein (FAP) and periostin (POSTN). Genetic lineage tracing of FAP+ fibroblasts in vivo showed that they contribute to the POSTN lineage but not the myofibroblast lineage. We assessed the applicability of experimental systems to model cardiac fibroblasts and demonstrated that three different in vivo mouse models of cardiac injury were superior compared with cultured human heart and dermal fibroblasts in recapitulating the human disease phenotype. Ligand-receptor analysis and spatial transcriptomics predicted that interactions between C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) macrophages and fibroblasts mediated by interleukin-1β (IL-1β) signalling drove the emergence of FAP/POSTN fibroblasts within spatially defined niches. In vivo, we deleted the IL-1 receptor on fibroblasts and the IL-1β ligand in CCR2+ monocytes and macrophages, and inhibited IL-1β signalling using a monoclonal antibody, and showed reduced FAP/POSTN fibroblasts, diminished myocardial fibrosis and improved cardiac function. These findings highlight the broader therapeutic potential of targeting inflammation to treat tissue fibrosis and preserve organ function.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41586-024-08008-5

Cites

76 of 76 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

97 Own result · 19 Own method · 17 Own interpretation · 10 Partly supported · 8 Supported · 2 No full text of the sources · 1 Supported so far · 1 Mixed support · 1 Couldn’t confirm · 1 No basis given · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 105 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 22
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 39
52 of 52
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The molecular mechanisms driving immune–fibroblast communication in human cardiac disease remain unexplored.

    “However, the molecular mechanisms driving immune–fibroblast cell communication in human cardiac disease remain unexplored and there are at present no approved treatments that directly target cardiac fibrosis3,4.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Strategies to therapeutically target cardiac fibrosis have remained elusive.

    “Strategies to therapeutically target cardiac fibrosis have remained elusive.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The precise fibroblast populations responsible for fibrosis in the human heart and the mechanisms orchestrating their emergence and maturation are unknown.

    “However, the precise fibroblast populations that are responsible for fibrosis in the human heart and mechanisms that orchestrate their emergence and maturation are unknown.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    It is not clear which preclinical in vitro and in vivo models best recapitulate human cardiac fibroblast subtypes.

    “Furthermore, it is not clear which of the many available preclinical in vitro and in vivo models10–15 best recapitulate human cardiac fibroblast subtypes.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No large-scale study to date performs single-cell or epitope-based sequencing in human hearts.

    “Given the many challenges associated with collecting fresh cardiac left-ventricle tissue, there is no large-scale study to date that performs single-cell or epitope-based sequencing in human hearts.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Little is known about the mechanisms and signalling events that orchestrate the specification of pathogenic fibroblasts in human myocardial infarction and heart failure.

    “Little is known regarding the mechanisms and signalling events that orchestrate the specification of pathogenic fibroblasts in the context of human MI and HF.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Little is understood about the signalling mechanisms that underlie the specification and differentiation of pathological fibroblasts in the heart.

    “Little is understood regarding the signalling mechanisms that underlie the specification and differentiation of pathological fibroblasts in the heart.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The potential for inflammatory signals to drive fibroblast activation and cardiac fibrosis is less explored.

    “the potential for inflammatory signals to drive fibroblast activation and cardiac fibrosis is less explored.”
8 of 8

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Metadata

Authors
Amrute, J. M., Luo, X., Penna, V., Yang, S., Yamawaki, T., Hayat, S., Bredemeyer, A., Jung, I.-H., Kadyrov, F. F., Heo, G. S., Venkatesan, R., Shi, S. Y., Parvathaneni, A., Koenig, A. L., Kuppe, C., Baker, C., Luehmann, H., Jones, C., Kopecky, B., Zeng, X., Bleckwehl, T., Ma, P., Lee, P., Terada, Y., Fu, A., Furtado, M., Kreisel, D., Kovacs, A., Stitziel, N. O., Jackson, S., Li, C.-M., Liu, Y., Rosenthal, N. A., Kramann, R., Ason, B., & Lavine, K. J.
Affiliations
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Amgen (United States) (US)
  • RWTH Aachen University (DE)
  • Jackson Laboratory (US)
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
Corresponding author
Lavine, Kory J.
Venue
Nature
Published
2024-10-23
Volume
635
Issue
8038
Pages
423-433
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W4403680192
Cited by
339
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 188 · 2025: 127 · 2024: 17
FWCI
92.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • Research Square (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • The Mouseion at the JAXlibrary (Jackson Laboratory) (submittedVersion)
  • RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen) (submittedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • American Heart Association (916955, 826325)
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Children's Discovery Institute (PM-LI-2019-829, CH-II-2015-462)
  • Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center (CA91842, #P30 CA91842)
  • Fondation Leducq (20CVD02)
  • National Institutes of Health (1s10od028597-01)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL138466, R01HL151078, R01HL139714, R35HL161185, R35HL145212)
  • National Cancer Institute (P30CA091842)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007200)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (P30AR073752)
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (P41EB025815)
  • National Center for Research Resources
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Congenital heart defects research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Transplantation: Methods and Outcomes
Keywords
heart failure, myocardial fibrosis, myofibroblasts, cancer-associated fibroblasts, CCR2+ macrophages, inflammation, periostin, ETA receptor, transcription factor perturbation

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