Laminin-rich blood vessels display activated growth factor signaling and act as the proliferation centers in Dupuytren's contracture

Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is a chronic fibroproliferative disease of the hand, which is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of atypical myofibroblasts at the cellular level. We hypothesized that specific areas of the DC tissue are sustaining the cell proliferation and studied the potential molecular determinants that might contribute to the formation of such niches. We studied the expression pattern of cell proliferation marker Ki67, phosphorylated AKT (Ak mouse strain thymoma) kinase, DC-associated growth factors (connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), basic fibroblast growth fact... Mehr ...