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Scleraxis: A New Regulator of Extracellular Matrix Formation

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Book cover Genes and Cardiovascular Function

Abstract

Scleraxis is a transcription factor that appears to play a key role in both the development of extracellular matrix-rich tissues such as tendons, and in the synthesis of matrix itself by regulating matrix gene expression. Our understanding of how scleraxis works, how its activity and expression are regulated, and the specific role it plays in disease is largely incomplete. However, enough data have accumulated to date to identify scleraxis as a critical factor in tendon formation, and ongoing studies in our laboratory have implicated scleraxis as a previously unappreciated driver of cardiac fibrosis due to its role in regulating type I collagen formation. Scleraxis may in fact behave as a master regulator of fibrillar collagen formation in multiple tissues, and the development of therapies aimed at reducing ­scleraxis function may provide a novel means to control tissue fibrosis in multiple pathologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Boniface Research Centre and Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

    Rushita A. Bagchi & Michael P. Czubryt

Authors
  1. Rushita A. Bagchi
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  2. Michael P. Czubryt
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Correspondence to Michael P. Czubryt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Czech Republic, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the, Videnska 1083, Prague, 142 20, Czech Republic

    Bohuslav Ostadal

  2. Jikei University School of Medicine, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 3-31-6, Tokyo, 150-0013, Japan

    Makoto Nagano

  3. St. Boniface General Hospital, Research Centre, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Tache Avenue 351, Winnipeg, R2H 2A6, Manitoba, Canada

    Naranjan S. Dhalla

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Bagchi, R.A., Czubryt, M.P. (2011). Scleraxis: A New Regulator of Extracellular Matrix Formation. In: Ostadal, B., Nagano, M., Dhalla, N. (eds) Genes and Cardiovascular Function. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7207-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7207-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-7207-1

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