extracellular matrix

[Nature Cancer] Investigators studied how disseminated tumor cells sensed and remodeled the ECM to sustain dormancy.

[Archives of Dermatological Research] In an in vitro model of fibrosis, investigators consistently observed the induction of the c-Rel subunit of NF-κB. Functional abrogation of c-Rel by siRNA resulted in diminished cell contractility of dermal fibroblasts in relaxed, but not in stressed 3D collagen matrices.

[Experimental Dermatology] In the skin, UV-irradiation increases expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that causes dysregulation of extracellular matrix homeostasis in dermis, leading to acceleration of skin aging. Researchers reported the role of transglutaminase 2 in mediating the UVB-induced expression of MMP-1.

[Nature Communications] Researchers indicated that KLF4 played opposing roles in platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β+ cells and α-smooth muscle actin+ cells and highlighted the importance of further studies of interactions between distinct mesenchymal cell types.

[Nature Communications] Investigators engineered a 3D biomimetic human breast that made it possible to study how stem cell fate decisions translated to tissue-level structure and function.

[Communications Biology] The authors discuss promising Matrigel-free methods for the generation and maintenance of organoids that use decellularized ECM, synthetic hydrogels, or gel-forming recombinant proteins.