pubmed-article:12081572 | pubmed:abstractText | In recent studies performed on cultured cells and experimental nephropathies, it has been hypothesized that tubular epithelial cells (TEC), via epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), can become collagen-producing cells. According to this theory, they should proceed through several activating steps, such as proliferation and phenotype changes, to eventually synthesize extracellular matrix (ECM). | lld:pubmed |