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Extracellular Matrix01:26

Extracellular Matrix

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Unlike epithelial tissue, which is composed of cells closely packed with little or no extracellular space in between, connective tissue cells are dispersed in a matrix. This extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of fibrous proteins like collagen, elastin, and fibronectin in a ground substance consisting of interstitial fluid, cell adhesion proteins, and proteoglycans. The proteoglycans form a gel-like material in the spaces between cells and provide hydration, buffering, binding, and force...
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The Extracellular Matrix01:29

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In order to maintain tissue organization, many animal cells are surrounded by structural molecules that make up the extracellular matrix (ECM). Together, the molecules in the ECM maintain the structural integrity of tissue as well as the remarkable specific properties of certain tissues.
Composition of the Extracellular Matrix
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Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

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In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
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Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of proteins and glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix. MMPs are essential for the migration and proliferation of cells through the dense matrix network, throughout embryonic development, and throughout morphogenesis. The first MMP activity discovered was a collagenase in a tadpole's tail undergoing metamorphosis. The active collagen deposition and modifications lead to the morphogenesis of tadpoles into the adult...
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The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...
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A Rapid, Scalable Method for the Isolation, Functional Study, and Analysis of Cell-derived Extracellular Matrix
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The (dys)functional extracellular matrix.

Benjamin R Freedman1, Nathan D Bade2, Corinne N Riggin1

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|May 2, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) instructs cell behaviors through its structural and mechanical properties. Understanding ECM remodeling in tissues like tendons and the heart reveals shared mechanisms of mechanotransduction in health and disease.

Keywords:
BiomechanicsCell mechanicsCytoskeletonDiastolic dysfunctionMechanotransductionTendinopathy

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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • The extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial for cellular biomechanics, influencing development and disease.
  • Mechanical and biochemical cues drive cellular remodeling of the ECM, altering tissue properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the structural, compositional, and mechanical properties of the ECM that guide cell behaviors.
  • To examine mechanotransduction in tendons and the heart as case studies for ECM-ECM-cell interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of ECM properties and mechanotransduction.
  • Analysis of case studies focusing on tendon and heart tissues.

Main Results:

  • The ECM's physical and chemical characteristics dictate cellular responses.
  • Tendons and the heart, despite compositional differences, share common pathways for ECM dysfunction and mechanotransduction.

Conclusions:

  • A unified framework for understanding ECM variations in normal and diseased tissues is provided.
  • Mechanotransduction mechanisms are conserved across different tissues, responding to mechanical and biochemical signals.