A growing body of evidence suggests that the mechanical functions of cardiac fibroblasts are an active and necessary component of myocardial growth and homeostasis. In this Review, Van Linthout and colleagues describe cell mechanosensation as a regulator of cardiac maturation and disease, and summarize the evidence showing that remodelling of the cardiac extracellular matrix, as a result of disease, can induce changes in the mechanical properties of the myocardium.
- Maurizio Pesce
- Georg N. Duda
- Sophie Van Linthout
