Extracellular Matrix News Volume 4.37 | Sep 19 2013

Young Developmental Age Cardiac Extracellular Matrix Promotes the Expansion of Neonatal Cardiomyocytes In Vitro
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is altered during heart development, and studies suggest that it plays an important role in regulating myocyte proliferation. The effects of fetal, neonatal and adult cardiac ECM on the expansion of neonatal rat ventricular cells in vitro were studied. [Acta Biomater] Abstract

Loss of Extracellular Matrix from Articular Cartilage Is Mediated by the Synovium and Ligament after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis may be initiated by early expression of proteolytic enzymes capable of causing degradation of the articular cartilage at time of injury. The authors investigated the production of three of these key proteases in multiple joint tissues after anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent markers of cartilage turnover. [Osteoarthritis Cartilage] Abstract

Extracellular Matrix Collagen Alters Cell Proliferation and Cell Cycle Progression of Human Uterine Leiomyoma Smooth Muscle Cells
To better understand the pathogenesis of uterine leiomyomas (ULs) and the role of extracellular matrix collagens in their growth, scientists investigated the interaction of leiomyoma smooth muscle cells with two different forms of collagen, non-polymerized collagen and polymerized collagen, in the absence or presence of platelet-derived growth factor, an abundant growth factor in ULs. [PLoS One] Full Article

Integrin-Specific Control of Focal Adhesion Kinase and RhoA Regulates Membrane Protrusion and Invasion
Scientists demonstrated that loss of β1 but not β3 integrins leads to increased spread cell area and focal adhesion number in cells on 2D immobilized fibronectin. Increased adhesion numbers in β1 knockdown cells correlated with decreased cell migration on 2D surfaces. [PLoS One] Full Article

Antigen-Specific B Lymphocytes Acquire Proteoglycan Aggrecan from Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Resulting in Antigen Presentation and CD4⁺ T Cell Activation
The authors showed that B cells are highly efficient at extracting integral components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for subsequent presentation. In particular they demonstrated that B cells specific for aggrecan, an integral component of cartilage ECM, acquire this rheumatoid arthritis candidate autoantigen in both a BCR- and a contact-dependent manner. [Immunology] Abstract

The Naïve Effector Cells of Collagen Type I during Acute Experimental Pancreatitis Are Acinar Cells and Not Pancreatic Stellate Cells
Researchers investigated the expression of collagen type I and the mRNA level of its regulatory factor, TGF-β1, in tissue samples of acute pancreatitis and aimed to determine the significance of collagen type I in predisposition to pancreatic fibrosis during acute pancreatitis. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Abstract

Microstructured Extracellular Matrices in Tissue Engineering and Development: An Update
This review describes methods to generate microstructured extracellular matrix (ECM), and highlights recent advances in the application of microstructured ECM to problems in basic and applied biology. It also discusses computational techniques to analyze and optimize the microstructural patterns for a desired functional output. [Ann Biomed Eng] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the extracellular matrix research field.

NIH Awards $2 Million for Engineering Approach to Understanding Lymphedema
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Georgia Tech a $2-million research grant to unravel the mechanical forces at play in lymphedema, a poorly understood disease with no cure and little hope for sufferers. The mechanisms involved in the progression of the disease are unclear, so professor J. Brandon Dixon’s lab will use an engineering approach to studying the disease. [Georgia Institute of Technology]
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Postdoctoral Position – Development of Uni-Lamellar Scaffolds for Bio-Mineralization in Bone Repair (Fujifilm)

Postdoctoral Position – Electro-Spinning: Scaffolding and Drug Delivery for Regenerative Medicine Applications (Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering)

PhD Position – Biomaterial Imaging (Uppsala University)

Research Fellow – Biomaterial Surface Functionalization (Nanyang Technological University)

Research Technologist – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Position – Tissue Engineering (Weizmann Institute of Science)

PhD Position – Molecular Cell Biology (Weizmann Institute of Science)

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