Extracellular Matrix

‘Cell interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) and with neighbouring cells trigger numerous responses that have essential roles in the regulation of their behaviour and fate. ECM adhesion and assembly affect cells in many ways. As the ECM provides the physical microenvironment in which cells live, it provides a substrate for cell anchorage and serves as a tissue scaffold, guides cell migration during embryonic development and wound repair, and has other key roles in tissue morphogenesis. However, beyond these obvious scaffolding functions, the ECM is also responsible for transmitting environmental signals to cells, which affect essentially all aspects of a cell's life, including its proliferation, differentiation and death. So, selection of the appropriate matrix for experiments using cultured cells is crucial, as it can profoundly affect the cellular response. As will be discussed [...], not only is the molecular composition of the ECM important, but also its topography and mechanical properties. These features of the ECM are determined both by the cells that produce it and by the cells that grow on or inside the matrix. So, the life of a cell seems to involve intense and complex crosstalk with the matrix.’

From: Geiger B, Bershadsky A, Pankov R, Yamada KM. Transmembrane crosstalk between the extracellular matrix--cytoskeleton crosstalk. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2001, 11:793-805.

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