Title:Intercellular contact is sufficient to drive Fibroblast to Myofibroblast transitions

Abstract:Fibroblast cells play a key role in maintaining the extracellular matrix. During wound healing, fibroblasts differentiate into highly contractile myofibroblasts, which secrete extracellular matrix proteins like collagen to facilitate tissue repair. Under normal conditions, myofibroblasts undergo programmed cell death after healing to prevent excessive scar formation. However, in diseases like fibrosis, the myofibroblasts remain active even after the wound is closed, resulting in excessive collagen buildup and a stiff, fibrotic matrix. The reasons for the persistence of myofibroblasts in fibrosis are not well understood. Here we show the existence of a mechanism where direct physical contact between a fibroblast and a myofibroblast is sufficient for fibroblasts to transition into myofibroblasts. We show that fibroblast-myofibroblast transition can occur even in the absence of known biochemical cues such as growth factor activation or mechanical cues from a stiff, fibrotic matrix. Further, we show that contact-based fibroblast-myofibroblast activation can be blocked by G{\alpha}q/11/14 inhibitor FR9003591, which inhibits the formation of myofibroblasts. These findings offer new insights into the persistence of fibrosis despite therapeutic interventions and suggest a potential strategy to target fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in fibrosis.