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Cell Signaling Regulation in Extracellular Matrix

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2023) | Viewed by 7001

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. James A. Stewart

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Guest Editor

Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, University, MS 38677, USA
Interests: extracellular matrix; fibrosis; fibroblasts; heart; diabetes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of an everchanging composite of glycoproteins, collagen types, proteoglycans, and glycosaminoglycans. These matrix proteins form the three-dimensional physical structure of the cell’s microenvironment. This diverse cluster of ECM proteins also imparts various biological functions through its ability to bind multiple interacting signaling molecules, such as other ECM proteins, growth factors, and adhesion receptors, to activate signaling pathways inducing cell growth, cell migration, proliferation, and gene expression. The ECM is also capable of transmitting mechanical forces throughout the tissue as well as to neighboring cells. This highly dynamic network must alter its composition and organization in order to meet the mechanical demands of tissues and organs. The ECM represents a key driver for mechanical and biochemical change as well as pathogenesis of multiple diseases throughout the body. A greater understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for pathophysiological changes is required to allow for development of effective therapies that specifically target ECM-cellular interactions.

This Special Issue aims to provide review and primary research articles focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the ECM-cellular interactions in disease and the advancement of potential therapeutic interventions of these maladaptive processes.

We look forward to your contributions to this exciting Special Edition.

Dr. James A. Stewart
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

extracellular matrix (ECM)
collagen
proteoglycans
glycoproteins
adhesion receptors
integrins
growth factors
growth factor receptors
matrix metalloproteases (MMPs)
fibroblasts
myofibroblasts
fibrosis
signal regulation
mechanical regulation
microenvironment
migration
ECM remodeling
pathogenesis
tissue engineering

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 5741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blood Inflammatory-like and Lung Resident-like Eosinophils Affect Migration of Airway Smooth Muscle Cells and Their ECM-Related Proliferation in Asthma

by Airidas Rimkunas, Andrius Januskevicius, Egle Vasyle, Jolita Palacionyte, Ieva Janulaityte, Skaidrius Miliauskas and Kestutis Malakauskas

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3469; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043469 - 9 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2071

Abstract

Airway remodeling is a hallmark feature of asthma, and one of its key structural changes is increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass and disturbed extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis. Eosinophil functions in asthma are broadly defined; however, we lack knowledge about eosinophil subtypes’ interaction with lung structural cells and their effect on the airway’s local microenvironment. Therefore, we investigated the effect of blood inflammatory-like eosinophils (iEOS-like) and lung resident-like eosinophils (rEOS-like) on ASM cells via impact on their migration and ECM-related proliferation in asthma. A total of 17 non-severe steroid-free allergic asthma (AA), 15 severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) patients, and 12 healthy control subjects (HS) were involved in this study. Peripheral blood eosinophils were enriched using Ficoll gradient centrifugation and magnetic separation, subtyped by using magnetic separation against CD62L. ASM cell proliferation was assessed by AlamarBlue assay, migration by wound healing assay, and gene expression by qRT-PCR analysis. We found that blood iEOS-like and rEOS-like cells from AA and SEA patients’ upregulated genes expression of contractile apparatus proteins, COL1A1, FN, TGF-β1 in ASM cells (p < 0.05), and SEA eosinophil subtypes demonstrated the highest effect on sm-MHC, SM22, and COL1A1 gene expression. Moreover, AA and SEA patients’ blood eosinophil subtypes promoted migration of ASM cells and their ECM-related proliferation, compared with HS (p < 0.05) with the higher effect of rEOS-like cells. In conclusion, blood eosinophil subtypes may contribute to airway remodeling by upregulating contractile apparatus and ECM component production in ASM cells, further promoting their migration and ECM-related proliferation, with a stronger effect of rEOS-like cells and in SEA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Signaling Regulation in Extracellular Matrix)

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Review

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17 pages, 1297 KiB

Open AccessReview

Framing Heartaches: The Cardiac ECM and the Effects of Age

by Nathalie Ringström, Charlotte Edling, Giovanna Nalesso and Kamalan Jeevaratnam

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4713; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054713 - 1 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1843

Abstract

The cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) is involved in several pathological conditions, and age itself is also associated with certain changes in the heart: it gets larger and stiffer, and it develops an increased risk of abnormal intrinsic rhythm. This, therefore, makes conditions such as atrial arrythmia more common. Many of these changes are directly related to the ECM, yet the proteomic composition of the ECM and how it changes with age is not fully resolved. The limited research progress in this field is mainly due to the intrinsic challenges in unravelling tightly bound cardiac proteomic components and also the time-consuming and costly dependency on animal models. This review aims to give an overview of the composition of the cardiac ECM, how different components aid the function of the healthy heart, how the ECM is remodelled and how it is affected by ageing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Signaling Regulation in Extracellular Matrix)

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17 pages, 1430 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Emerging Role of MMP12 in the Oral Environment

by Bingpeng Lin, Hooi Leng Ser, Lijing Wang, Jiang Li, Kok-Gan Chan, Learn-Han Lee and Loh Teng-Hern Tan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4648; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054648 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2435

Abstract

Matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP12), or macrophage metalloelastase, plays important roles in extracellular matrix (ECM) component degradation. Recent reports show MMP12 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. To date, this review represents the latest comprehensive overview of MMP12 in various oral diseases, such as periodontitis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Furthermore, the current knowledge regarding the distribution of MMP12 in different tissues is also illustrated in this review. Studies have implicated the association of MMP12 expression with the pathogenesis of several representative oral diseases, including periodontitis, TMD, OSCC, OTM, and bone remodelling. Although there may be a potential role of MMP12 in oral diseases, the exact pathophysiological role of MMP12 remains to be elucidated. Understanding the cellular and molecular biology of MMP12 is essential, as MMP12 could be a potential target for developing therapeutic strategies targeting inflammatory and immunologically related oral diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Signaling Regulation in Extracellular Matrix)

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