The Fibroblast (cell)

• The Fibroblast (cell) is the main cell of the dermis and is solely responsible for the production of its main compenents: collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin. It is also responsible for the breakdown of these components.
• With Aging fibroblasts become less active and this translates clinically as wrinkles (tissue loss)

Did you know ?

• Cultured fibroblasts have been the cells of choice for the study of microtubule function.
• Fibroblasts grown in cell cultures are long and flattened, and move around  the surface of the culture dish with a broad leading edge  and a narrow trailing edge (In contrast keratinocytes (epithelial cells) stay flattened and many-sided in culture).
• In all cultured cells, cytoplasmic microtubules radiate outwards in the cytoplasm from a structure close to the nucleus called the centrosome.

Reference: The Cell: A Very Short Introduction. Allen T. Oxford University Press