One of the earliest stages of tumor progression involves the ability of cells to survive and proliferate when not attached to the extracellular matrix (ECM). New research using a physiologically relevant breast cancer model reveals how separation from the ECM stimulates metabolic changes characteristic of developing tumors.

As in all tissues, mechanical forces in the aortic valve (AV) modulate the constituent cell population's physiology and biosynthetic activity. While advances have been made toward the understanding of this complex multi-scale relationship, the specific role that and extracellular matrix (ECM) coupling plays on the mechanical response of the AV interstitial cell (AVIC) is poorly understood. The ...

The relative thrombogenicity of extracellular matrixes (ECMs) produced by cultured human umbilical endothelial cells (ECs) was studied under flow conditions. ECMs were prepared using a number of physical and chemical methods, and their reactivity toward platelets was morphometrically evaluated. von Willebrand factor (vWF), fibronectin (FN), and 13-hydroxy-9-cis,11-trans-octadecadienoic acid (13...

correlation between breeding value of crude milk (cm) and energy-corrected milk (ecm) was studied based on a total of 774,013 test day records belongs to 88,456 first-parity holsteins dairy cattle calving during 1997-2009 in 165 herds (from six provinces). genetic analysis of the traits was carried out by a fixed regression test day model. in the model, effects of herd, calving year, production...

Cancer cells manoeuvre through extracellular matrices (ECMs) using different invasion modes, including single cell and collective cell invasion. These modes rely on MMP-driven ECM proteolysis to make space for cells to move. How cancer-associated alterations in ECM influence the mode of invasion remains unclear. Further, the sensitivity of the two invasion modes to MMP dynamics remains unexplor...

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant astrocytoma of the central nervous system associated with a median survival time of 15 months, even with aggressive therapy. This rapid progression is due in part to diffuse infiltration of single tumor cells into the brain parenchyma, which is thought to involve aberrant interactions between tumor cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we t...

Cerebral malaria (CM) is associated with low nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, cerebrovascular constriction, occlusion, and hypoperfusion. Administration of exogenous NO partially prevents the neurological syndrome and associated vascular pathology in an experimental CM (ECM) mouse model. In this study, we evaluated the effects of transdermal glyceryl trinitrate in preventing ECM and, in combi...

OBJECTIVE Dexamethasone is known to support mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) chondrogenesis, although the effects of dose and timing of exposure are not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate these variables using a laboratory model of MSC chondrogenesis. DESIGN Equine MSCs were encapsulated in agarose and cultured in chondrogenic medium with 1 or 100 nM dexamethasone, or ...