In chronic infection, inflammation and cancer, the tissue microenvironment controls how local immune cells behave, with tissue-resident fibroblasts emerging as a key cell type in regulating activation or suppression of an immune response. Fibroblasts are heterogeneous cells, encompassing functionally distinct populations, the phenotypes of which differ according to their tissue of origin and type of inciting disease. Their immunological properties are also diverse, ranging from the maintenance of a potent inflammatory environment in chronic inflammation to promoting immunosuppression in malignancy, and encapsulating and incarcerating infectious agents within tissues. In this Review, we compare the mechanisms by which fibroblasts control local immune responses, as well as the factors regulating their inflammatory and suppressive profiles, in different tissues and pathological settings. This cross-disease perspective highlights the importance of tissue context in determining fibroblast–immune cell interactions, as well as potential therapeutic avenues to exploit this knowledge for the benefit of patients with chronic infection, inflammation and cancer.

在慢性感染、炎症和癌症中，组织微环境控制着局部免疫细胞的行为，组织驻留的成纤维细胞成为调节免疫反应激活或抑制的关键细胞类型。成纤维细胞是异质细胞，包括功能不同的群体，其表型根据其起源组织和诱发疾病的类型而不同。它们的免疫学特性也多种多样，从在慢性炎症中维持有效的炎症环境到在恶性肿瘤中促进免疫抑制，以及在组织内封装和监禁感染因子。在这篇综述中，我们比较了成纤维细胞控制局部免疫反应的机制，以及调节其炎症和抑制特征的因素，在不同的组织和病理环境中。这种跨疾病的观点强调了组织环境在确定成纤维细胞-免疫细胞相互作用方面的重要性，以及利用这些知识造福慢性感染、炎症和癌症患者的潜在治疗途径。