Extracellular Matrix Signalling in Health and Disease
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a scaffold of proteins and glycoproteins that provides structure to tissues and support for the delicate cells within; it is composed of over 1000 different gene products, the expression of which varies considerably between tissues. The combination of proteins and glycoproteins, known as the ‘matrisome’, is tuned to provide the specific properties required by the tissue. While the structural role of the ECM has long been recognised, more recent findings have highlighted the dynamic nature of the ECM and the key role it plays in mechanical and biochemical signalling to the resident cells. The mechanical properties of the tissue influence cell behaviour through mechano-transduction pathways. In addition, the molecular features of the matrix components, their turnover, and matrix-derived peptides are involved in biochemical signalling. An extensive and broad range of enzyme-driven and non-enzymatic post-translational modification results in further complexity in the ECM and its cell signalling potential. This Special Issue aims to compile recent advances in the understanding of signalling from the matrix to the cell in a range of heathy tissues and in dysregulated pathological conditions, highlighting significant potential for therapeutic interventions.
Prof. Dr. Helen L. Birch
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- extracellular
- matrix
- mechano-transduction
- biochemical signalling
- cell–matrix interactions
- outside-in signalling
- matrix remodelling
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