Expression patterns of extracellular matrix components in native and cultured normal human thyroid tissue and in...

The extracellular matrix (ECM) and basement membranes (BM, a specialized form of ECM) greatly influence proliferation, differentiation, and function of cells and the structure of tissues. While a considerable amount of information is available on thyroid cellular proliferation, differentiation and function, much less is known about thyroid ECM and BM. In this study the presence of the ECM/BM components fibronectin, collagen IV, alpha1, beta1, gamma1 laminin, several laminin variants, osteonectin, and perlecan was demonstrated in cryosections of nonadenomatous and toxic adenoma human thyroid tissue. Also, positive immunohistochemical staining for collagen IV, laminin, perlecan, and fibronectin was obtained in sections of human thyroid tissue cultured in a three-dimensional (alginate) culture system. The present study provides methods and data that will facilitate the investigation of the interaction between cells and ECM in thyroid tissue.