Fibroblast heterogeneity and its impact on extracellular matrix and immune landscape remodeling in cancer

Abstract

Tumor progression is marked by dense collagenous matrix accumulations that dynamically reorganize to accommodate a growing and invasive tumor mass. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an essential role in matrix remodeling and influence other processes in the tumor microenvironment, including angiogenesis, immunosuppression, and invasion. These findings have spawned efforts to elucidate CAF functionality at the single-cell level. Here, we will discuss how those efforts have impacted our understanding of the ways in which CAFs govern matrix remodeling and the influence of matrix remodeling on the development of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Keywords: Cancer-associated fibroblasts; Fibroblast heterogeneity; Fibrosis; Immunosuppression; Tumor microenvironment.