Vascular extracellular matrix and aortic cell differentiation

Vascular extracellular matrix and aortic development.

Extracellular matrix elasticity directs stem cell differentiation.

Stem cell differentiation is regulated by a variety of cues including growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM), although the role that the ECM has in this process is less understood. Here we provide examples of how the composition, concentration, and elastic modulus of matrix as well as its temporal and spatial location plays a key role in regulating cell fate. Natural variation of matrix ...

Extracellular Matrix and Integrins in Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells with great therapeutic potentials. The in vitro differentiation of ESC was designed by recapitulating embryogenesis. Significant progress has been made to improve the in vitro differentiation protocols by toning soluble maintenance factors. However, more robust methods for lineage-specific differentiation and maturation are still under developme...

Multi-faceted regulation of cell differentiation by extracellular matrix.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is an intricate network composed of an array of macromolecules, the importance of which is becoming increasingly apparent. The ECM is an integral part of the machinery that regulates cell function; its role in cell differentiation and tissue-specific gene expression, although essential, is not yet understood. It can act as a positive as well as a negative regulator of...

Influence of the extracellular matrix on type 2 cell differentiation.

Growth and division of type II pulmonary epithelial cells are important components of the pathway by which the alveolar surface is repaired following several forms of lung injury. These processes, which result in reepithelialization of the denuded alveolar basement membrane, involve loss of type II cell differentiation and transition to a type I epithelium. As in other cells, the extracellular ...