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New concepts in basement membrane biology
Author(s) -
Halfter Willi,
Oertle Philipp,
Monnier Christophe A.,
Camenzind Leon,
ReyesLua Magaly,
Hu Huaiyu,
Candiello Joseph,
Labilloy Anatalia,
Balasubramani Manimalha,
Henrich Paul Bernhard,
Plodinec Marija
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/febs.13495
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , laminin , microbiology and biotechnology , basement membrane , mutant , biology , stromal cell , phenotype , adhesion , atomic force microscopy , in vitro , biophysics , chemistry , biochemistry , nanotechnology , materials science , gene , organic chemistry , cancer research
Basement membranes (BMs) are thin sheets of extracellular matrix that outline epithelia, muscle fibers, blood vessels and peripheral nerves. The current view of BM structure and functions is based mainly on transmission electron microscopy imaging, in vitro protein binding assays, and phenotype analysis of human patients, mutant mice and invertebrata. Recently, MS ‐based protein analysis, biomechanical testing and cell adhesion assays with in vivo derived BM s have led to new and unexpected insights. Proteomic analysis combined with ultrastructural studies showed that many BM s undergo compositional and structural changes with advancing age. Atomic force microscopy measurements in combination with phenotype analysis have revealed an altered mechanical stiffness that correlates with specific BM pathologies in mutant mice and human patients. Atomic force microscopy‐based height measurements strongly suggest that BM s are more than two‐fold thicker than previously estimated, providing greater freedom for modelling the large protein polymers within BM s. In addition, data gathered using BM s extracted from mutant mice showed that laminin has a crucial role in BM stability. Finally, recent evidence demonstrate that BM s are bi‐functionally organized, leading to the proposition that BM ‐sidedness contributes to the alternating epithelial and stromal tissue arrangements that are found in all metazoan species. We propose that BM s are ancient structures with tissue‐organizing functions and were essential in the evolution of metazoan species.