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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Directed Assembly of Elastin-like Proteins into defined Supramolecular Structures and Cargo Encapsulation In Vitro
Published on: April 8, 2020
The role of fibrillin and microfibril binding proteins in elastin and elastic fibre assembly
Alan R F Godwin1, Mukti Singh1, Michael P Lockhart-Cairns1
1Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Division of Cell-Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
Abstract:
Fibrillin is a large evolutionarily ancient extracellular glycoprotein that assembles to form beaded microfibrils which are essential components of most extracellular matrices. Fibrillin microfibrils have specific biomechanical properties to endow animal tissues with limited elasticity, a fundamental feature of the durable function of large blood vessels, skin and lungs. They also form a template for elastin deposition and provide a platform for microfibril-elastin binding proteins to interact in elastic fibre assembly. In addition to their structural role, fibrillin microfibrils mediate cell signalling via integrin and syndecan receptors, and microfibrils sequester transforming growth factor (TGF)β family growth factors within the matrix to provide a tissue store which is critical for homeostasis and remodelling.
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