Tissue-Resident PDGFRα+ Progenitor Cells Contribute to Fibrosis versus Healing in a Context- and Spatiotemporally Dependent Manner

Santini et al. show that progenitor PDGFRα+ cells residing in skeletal muscle are mesenchymal stromal cells with a dual function, which on the one hand can stabilize newly formed blood vessels and limit injury expansion after ischemia, but on the other hand are also capable of promoting fibrosis in an unfavorable environment.