Figure 1
From: Cardiac fibroblasts, fibrosis and extracellular matrix remodeling in heart disease
Origin of cardiac fibroblasts during development and disease. During development, epicardium-derived cells undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT), while endothelial cells (from the endocardium) can undergo endothelial–mesenchymal (EndMT) and transform to cardiac fibroblasts. Following myocardial injury, bone marrow (BM)-derived cells (monocytes, BM progenitors and fibrocytes) can be recruited to the site of injury and transformed to cardiac fibroblasts. This can occur in addition to EMT and/or EndMT.