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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Tissue Viability. 2009 Dec 7;20(4):108–120. doi: 10.1016/j.jtv.2009.11.004

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Schematic illustration of the mechanical feedback loop in myofibroblast development. Fibroblasts in intact tissue are stress-shielded by ECM and do not develop contractile features and cell–matrix adhesions. Upon injury, inflammatory signals activate fibroblasts to spread into the provisional wound matrix and become proto-myofibroblasts. TGF-β1 stimulates proto-myofibroblasts to express α-SMA and become differentiated myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts may exit this cycle when ECM is reconstituted and takes over the mechanical load; stress-released myofibroblasts eventually undergo apoptosis. (Reproduced with permission from Fig. 3 in Hinz, J Invest Dermatol 127: 526, 2007).