Figure 1.

Fibroblasts are diverse and multifunctional. The understanding of cells with fibroblastic morphology is evolving. Fibroblasts were previously considered to be primarily structural cells responsible for production of ECM, acting in wound healing and fibrosis, and serving as stem cells for differentiation into structures such as fat. Single-cell multi-OMICS technology including scRNAseq has identified several fibroblast subtypes and activation states within and between tissues and disease states and revealed numerous potential distinct functions for these cells. Determining the functional significance of fibroblasts is an ongoing area of research. The choice of colors for fibroblasts illustrates that there are different functional subtypes/activation states.