Fueling fibrosis: BCAT1 links branched-chain amino acid metabolism to collagen production.
M, R. & JW, E. (2026). Fueling fibrosis: BCAT1 links branched-chain amino acid metabolism to collagen production.. The Journal of clinical investigation. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI209543
M R, JW E. Fueling fibrosis: BCAT1 links branched-chain amino acid metabolism to collagen production.. The Journal of clinical investigation. 2026; doi: 10.1172/JCI209543
M R, JW E. Fueling fibrosis: BCAT1 links branched-chain amino acid metabolism to collagen production.[J]. The Journal of clinical investigation. 2026. DOI: 10.1172/JCI209543.
@article{m2026,
author = {Ronfini M and Elrod JW},
title = {Fueling fibrosis: BCAT1 links branched-chain amino acid metabolism to collagen production.},
journal = {The Journal of clinical investigation},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1172/JCI209543},
note = {PMID: 42677840},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Ronfini M AU - Elrod JW TI - Fueling fibrosis: BCAT1 links branched-chain amino acid metabolism to collagen production. T2 - The Journal of clinical investigation PY - 2026 DO - 10.1172/JCI209543 AN - PMID:42677840 ER -
Fibrosis remains a major driver of organ dysfunction, yet the metabolic programs that sustain extracellular matrix production are incompletely understood. In this issue of the JCI, Takizawa and colleagues identified branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1) as a crucial metabolic regulator of fibroblast activation and fibrosis in a model of cardiac fibrosis. Their observations were corroborated by analyses of datasets from patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. They report that by coupling mechanical and TGF-β signaling to a proline biosynthesis and utilization program, BCAT1 enhanced collagen production in activated cardiac fibroblasts. These findings place branched-chain amino acid metabolism as a pivotal contributor to fibroblast activation and highlight BCAT1 as a promising therapeutic target for fibrotic disease.