Assembly, heterogeneity, and breaching of the basement membranes

作者：Glentis Alexandros; Gurchenkov Vasily; Vignjevic Danijela Matic^*

来源：Cell Adhesion & Migration, 2014, 8(3): 236-245.

DOI：10.4161/cam.28733

• basement membrane
• laminin
• collagen
• invadopodia
• invasion

Basement membranes are thin sheets of self-assembled extracellular matrices that are essential for embryonic development and for the homeostasis of adult tissues. They play a role in structuring, protecting, polarizing, and compartmentalizing cells, as well as in supplying them with growth factors. All basement membranes are built from laminin and collagen IV networks stabilized by nidogen/ perlecan bridges. The precise composition of basement membranes, however, varies between different tissues. Even though basement membranes represent physical barriers that delimit different tissues, they are breached in many physiological or pathological processes, including development, the immune response, and tumor invasion. Here, we provide a brief overview of the molecular composition of basement membranes and the process of their assembly. We will then illustrate the heterogeneity of basement membranes using two examples, the epithelial basement membrane in the gut and the vascular basement membrane. Finally, we examine the different strategies cells use to breach the basement membrane.

• 出版日期2014