Extracellular Matrix News Volume 4.08 | Feb 28 2013

Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Promotes Anoikis Resistance and Tumor Metastasis
Researchers observed that upon detachment from matrix, human mammary epithelial cells strongly upregulate manganese superoxide dismutase, a principal mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme that detoxifies reactive oxygen species through dismutation of superoxide. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Upregulation of Drug Transporter Expression by Osteopontin in Prostate Cancer Cells
Osteopontin, an extracellular matrix protein, has a functional RGD domain for binding to integrin. Investigators found that osteopontin expression was up-regulated by hypoxic condition in PC-3 prostate tumor cells. [Mol Pharmacol] Abstract

Periodic Knee Injections of Collagen Tripeptide Delay Cartilage Degeneration in Rabbit Experimental Osteoarthritis
Scientists examined the therapeutic effects of collagen tripeptide in rabbit osteoarthritis and explored a synergetic effect with hyaluronan. [Arthritis Res Ther] Abstract | Full Article

CDCP1 Regulates the Function of Membrane-Type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase and Invadopodia-Mediated Invasion of Cancer Cells
Researchers demonstrated that CUB-domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1) is required for extracellular matrix degradation by invadopodia in human breast cancer and melanoma cells. CDCP1 localized to caveolin-1-containing vesicular structures and lipid rafts and was detected in close proximity to invadopodia. [Mol Cancer Res] Abstract

Neoplastic and Stromal Cells Contribute to an Extracellular Matrix Gene Expression Profile Defining a Breast Cancer Subtype Likely to Progress
To investigate the characteristics of extracellular matrix signature and its impact on tumor progression, the authors conducted unsupervised clustering analyses in six additional independent datasets of invasive breast tumors from different platforms for a total of 643 samples. [PLoS One] Full Article

ECM-Dependent HIF Induction Directs Trophoblast Stem Cell Fate via LIMK1-Mediated Cytoskeletal Rearrangement
Researchers showed that altering the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition upon which trophoblast stem cells are cultured changes their differentiation potential from trophoblast giant cells to multinucleated syncytiotropholasts and blocks oxygen-independent hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) induction. [PLoS One] Full Article

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Extracellular Matrix Influences Gene Expression of Chondrocytes
 The ability of adult human mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular matrix to rescue the phenotype of osteoarthritic chondrocytes and to further stimulate the differentiation of healthy  chondrocytes was evaluated. [Biofabrication] Abstract

Perineuronal and Perisynaptic Extracellular Matrix in the Human Spinal Cord
Scientists showed the overall presence of tenascin-R and hyaluronan in both white and grey matters whereas aggrecan, proteoglycan link-protein and brevican were restricted to the grey matter. [Neuroscience] Abstract

Transgenic Mice Overexpressing CD109 in the Epidermis Display Decreased Inflammation and Granulation Tissue and Improved Collagen Architecture during Wound Healing
In excisional wounds, the authors showed that CD109 transgenic mice display markedly reduced macrophage and neutrophil recruitment, granulation tissue area, and decreased Smad2 and Smad3 phosphorylation, whereas wound closure remains unaffected as compared with wild-type littermates. Futhermore, they demonstrated that the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1α and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and extracellular matrix components is markedly decreased during wound healing in CD109 transgenic mice. [Wound Repair Regen] Abstract

Interstitial Collagen Catabolism
Components of the mechanism of action for the collagenolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-1 have been defined experimentally, and insights into other collagenolytic mechanisms have been provided. Ancillary biomolecules may modulate the action of collagenolytic enzymes. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

Cell to Extracellular Matrix Interactions and Their Reciprocal Nature in Cancer
The authors give an overview of the role of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions in cancer, with a particular focus on the reciprocal nature of the cell-ECM interactions and how this contributes to cancer progression. [Exp Cell Res] Abstract

Organovo Partners with ZenBio to Create 3D Tissue Models
Organovo Holdings, Inc. and ZenBio Inc. are partnering to produce three-dimensional human tissues for drug discovery and advanced tissue therapies. [Organovo Holdings, Inc.] Press Release

Gladstone Scientist Named Inaugural Winner of Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
Gladstone Institutes’ Senior Investigator Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, is one of 11 medical researchers to win a new, high-profile $3 million award from a group of high-tech sponsors, including the founders of Facebook and Google. [Gladstone Institutes] Press Release

Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research
In a policy memorandum, Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren has directed Federal agencies with more than $100 million in R&D expenditures to develop plans to make the published results of federally funded research freely available to the public within one year of publication and requiring researchers to better account for and manage the digital data resulting from federally funded scientific research. [Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House, United States] Press Release

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)
 
European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW 4^th Annual International Medical Students (AIMS) Meeting
March 15-17, 2013
Lisbon, Portugal

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the extracellular matrix community.

Postdoctoral Position – Tissue Engineering (Weizmann Institute of Science)

Postdoctoral Position – Tissue Development, Homeostasis and Malignancy (University of Oulu)

Postdoctoral Position – Extracellular Matrix & Developmental Biology (Purdue University)

Postdoctoral Position (Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology)

PhD Fellowship (Ghent University)

Postdoctoral Position (University of Bergen)

Senior Scientist (Spiber Technologies AB)

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