Extracellular matrix
hideIn biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is the defining feature of connective tissue in animals.
Extracellular matrix includes the interstitial matrix and the basement membrane. Interstitial matrix is present between various animal cells (i.e., in the intercellular spaces). Gels of polysaccharides and fibrous proteins fill the interstitial space and act as a compression buffer against the stress placed on the ECM. Basement membranes are sheet-like depositions of ECM on which various epithelial cells rest.
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News tagged with extracellular matrix
Mutant gene's true effect revealed - giving new therapy hope
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have revealed how a mutant gene that causes a connective tissue disease resulting in dwarfism does so by significantly affecting the inside of cells - opening up new therapy strategies that involve ...
New function for the protein Bcl-xL: It prevents bone breakdown
Sep 14, 2009 |
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In blood cells, the protein Bcl-xL has a well-characterized role in preventing cell death by a process known as apoptosis. However, its function(s) in osteoclasts, cells that slowly breakdown bone (a process known as resorption), ...
Scientists open doors to diagnosis of emphysema
Aug 03, 2009 |
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Chronic inflammatory lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema are a major global health problem, and the fourth leading cause of death and disability in developed countries, with smoking accounting for 90% of the ...
Model tissue system reveals cellular communication via amino acids
Apr 03, 2009 |
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A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) has found the first evidence of cell-to-cell communication by amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, rather ...
Strategy discovered for fighting persistent bacterial infections
Mar 23, 2009 |
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Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a promising strategy for destroying the molecular scaffolding that can make Pseudomonas bacterial infections extremely difficult to treat in cystic fibrosis patients, ...
Cell microenvironments hold key to future stem cell therapies
Feb 27, 2009 |
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Adult stem cells and their more committed kin, progenitor cells, are prized by medical researchers for their ability to produce different types of specialized cells. The potential of using these cells to repair ...
Role of protein in tumor growth is highlighted by researcher using 3-D model
Biology /
Feb 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- By observing the behavior of cancer cells grown in both two and three dimensions, Cornell assistant professor of biomedical engineering Claudia Fischbach-Teschl has demonstrated that a previously ...
Researchers identify protein that may explain 'healthy' obesity
Biology /
Jan 29, 2009 |
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Mice whose fat cells were allowed to grow larger than fat cells in normal mice developed "healthy" obesity when fed a high-fat diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found in a new study.
Scientists discover new link in pathway to cancer: hope for drug design
Aug 28, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Manchester scientists have identified an exciting connection between a cell’s extracellular environment and the activity of a signalling pathway molecule that controls the development of organs ...
