Matrix Biology Special Issue: FIBROBLASTS AND THE MICROENVIRONMENTASMB is pleased to partner with Elsevier to design a special issue of Matrix Biology. The focus of this special call is on the fibroblast and the microenvironment. The tissue microenvironment consists of a dynamic cellular population and non-cellular components, which form a multifaceted regulatory network that helps to maintain the homeostasis of an organ. Under pathological conditions, the microenvironment undergoes alterations that can either sustain, improve, or worsen the injured/diseased tissues. We welcome submissions of original research articles, reviews, and perspectives on how the fibroblast microenvironment affects the extracellular matrix, cell-cell interactions, soluble factors, oxygen tension, and mechanical forces. Specifically, we are interested in manuscripts that explore the role of the ECM in regulating cell function in health or disease and how this can be targeted as a therapeutic strategy. We also encourage submissions that examine direct and indirect contact and/or signaling molecules that regulate ECM development, homeostasis, or repair in health or disease. We are interested in manuscripts that explore the regulation of cell behavior by secreted growth factors, the effects of oxygen tension on cell survival and function, as well as those that investigate how mechanical forces affect cell behavior and contribute to tissue development and remodeling. The overall aim of this special call is to highlight the importance of the fibroblast microenvironment and its effects on cell behavior during homeostasis, tissue development, and disease progression, in addition to fibroblast emergence as a novel therapeutic target. Meet our Guest Editors for this special issue:
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information about the submission process, visit the Elsevier website. Submit to the Special Issue |
