SPARC production by bone marrow-derived cells contributes to myocardial fibrosis in pressure overload.

In human heart failure and in murine hearts with left-ventricular pressure overload (LVPO), increases in fibrosis are associated with increases in myocardial stiffness. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is shown to be necessary for both cardiac fibrosis and increases in myocardial stiffness in response to LVPO; however, cellular sources of cardiac SPARC are incompletely defined. Irradiation and bone marrow transfer were undertaken to test the hypothesis that SPARC expression by bone marrow-derived cells is an important mediator of fibrosis in LVPO.

The Influence of the Extracellular Matrix in Inflammation: Findings from the SPARC-Null Mouse.

Matricellular proteins are secreted proteins that, among other functions, can contribute to extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly including modulation of cell:ECM interactions. Recent discoveries have indicated a fundamental role for the ECM in the regulation of inflammatory responses including cell extravasation and recruitment, immune cell differentiation, polarization, activation, and retention in tissues. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular collagen-binding protein implicated in fibrillar collagen assembly in the ECM of connective tissue as well as in basal lamina organization.