Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry
Special Issue on Fibroblasts
Join the Fibroblast workshop chairs, Anne-Karina Perl, PhD and Davy Vanhoutte, PhD as they organize this special issue.
Special Issue: Fibroblast Biology Across Development, Homeostasis, Regeneration and Disease
Fibroblasts have emerged as central regulators of development, tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and disease. Advances in single-cell, spatial, and functional technologies have transformed our understanding of fibroblast diversity, creating new opportunities to uncover the conserved principles and molecular mechanisms that govern fibroblast identity and function. This Special Issue welcomes original research, Reviews, and Perspectives spanning fibroblast biology across organs, with particular emphasis on studies and syntheses that advance our understanding of fibroblast regulation, communication, and therapeutic potential.
Call for Papers!
Fibroblasts have emerged as central regulators of tissue architecture, extracellular matrix organization, intercellular communication, regeneration, and disease. Once viewed primarily as structural support cells, fibroblasts are now recognized as dynamic organizers of tissue microenvironments that integrate developmental signals, mechanical cues, and inflammatory stimuli to shape organ function and pathology.
Over the past decade, increasingly sophisticated single-cell, spatial, lineage-tracing, and multi-omics atlases have transformed our understanding of fibroblast diversity across tissues, developmental stages, and disease. These resources now provide an unprecedented opportunity to compare fibroblast populations across organs, identify conserved and tissue-specific programs, and establish a common framework for fibroblast biology. At the same time, advances in functional genetics, organoid systems, spatial technologies, and experimental models are beginning to reveal the molecular mechanisms that govern fibroblast identity, plasticity, and function.
This Special Issue aims to capture this transition from describing fibroblast diversity to understanding the principles that govern fibroblast biology. We welcome original research articles, Reviews, Perspectives, and Opinion articles spanning basic, translational, and computational studies of fibroblasts across all organ systems.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Fibroblast diversity and atlases
• Single-cell and spatial atlases of fibroblasts
• Cross-species and developmental comparisons
• Fibroblast lineage tracing and fate mapping
• Emerging fibroblast populations and nomenclature
Integrative synthesis and conceptual frameworks
• Comparative analyses across tissues and organs
• Conserved versus tissue-specific fibroblast programs
• Harmonization of fibroblast nomenclature
• Integration of single-cell, spatial, lineage-tracing, and functional datasets
• Comparative analyses of fibroblast populations across organs (for example, lung, kidney, liver, heart, skin, intestine, and musculoskeletal tissues)
• Reviews that identify common organizational principles and key differences among fibroblast populations
• Conceptual models for fibroblast identity, plasticity, and specialization
• Future directions and unresolved questions emerging from existing atlases
Mechanisms regulating fibroblast biology
• Developmental specification and lineage commitment
• Cell-state transitions and fibroblast plasticity
• Gene regulatory networks and transcriptional control
• Epigenetic regulation and chromatin organization
• Cell-cell communication and signaling pathways
• Extracellular matrix production and remodeling
• Mechanical regulation and mechanotransduction
• Metabolic regulation of fibroblast function
Fibroblasts in physiology and disease
• Development and tissue homeostasis
• Tissue regeneration and repair
• Fibrosis and chronic inflammatory diseases
• Cancer-associated fibroblasts
• Aging
• Vascular, immune, epithelial, neural, and stem cell interactions
• Therapeutic targeting and translational approaches
We particularly encourage integrative reviews. Rather than focusing on a single organ or dataset, we encourage Reviews that synthesize findings across multiple tissues, experimental systems, or technologies. Examples include comparative analyses of fibroblast populations in different organs, harmonization of nomenclature, integration of single-cell and spatial atlases, and reviews that identify conserved biological principles while highlighting tissue-specific adaptations. Such contributions will help establish a unified conceptual framework for fibroblast biology and provide an enduring resource for investigators across disciplines.
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