Capillary endothelial cells of rat epididymal fat pad were isolated and cultured in media conditioned by bovine aortic endothelial cells and substrata consisting of interstitial or basement membrane collagens. When these cells were grown on interstitial collagens they underwent proliferation, formed a continuous cell layer and, if cultured for long periods of time, formed occasional tubelike st...

We have grown the EHS (Engelbreth-Holm, Swarm) tumor in normal and genetically diabetic mice (db/db) and measured some components of basement membrane produced in the tumor. These studies showed similar amounts of total protein in control and diabetic tissue and similar patterns of proteins on SDS gel electrophoresis of extracts of the tissue. Laminin, a basement membrane specific glycoprotein ...

The Caenorhabditis elegans teneurin ortholog, ten-1, plays an important role in gonad and pharynx development. We found that lack of TEN-1 does not affect germline proliferation but leads to local basement membrane deficiency and early gonad disruption. Teneurin is expressed in the somatic precursor cells of the gonad that appear to be crucial for gonad epithelialization and basement membrane i...

The distributions of defined basement membrane proteins in nine pure tubular carcinomas, 10 cases of sclerosing adenosis, and 15 ductal adenocarcinomas were compared. Sections of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded specimens were pretreated with pepsin and then immunostained for laminin, type IV collagen, and basement membrane proteoglycan, components specific for basement membranes. In sclerosin...

Basement membrane procollagen biosynthesis was studied in organ cultures of embryonic rat parietal yolk sac endoderm by following [14C]proline incorporation into nondialyzable proteins. After reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol the 14C-proteins synthesized were characterized by agarose gel filtration and disc electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The labeled procollagen was id...

The distribution of the basement membrane glycoprotein laminin was studied by the immunoperoxidase technique in benign and malignant human breast tissue and in axillary lymph nodes from patients with breast cancer. An antiserum prepared against rat laminin was used. The specificity of this antiserum against human laminin was studied using the FL cell line of human epithelial-like cells derived ...

The extracellular matrix (EM) has various important functions. The basement membrane, which is part of the EM, has major components such as type IV collagen (C-IV), laminin, and heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG). The basement membrane controls osmosis of various molecules, as well as the approach of growth factors, hormones, and neurotransmitters, etc. to the cellular surface. Thus, in this s...

Skeletal muscle regeneration occurs by the activation, proliferation and fusion of muscle precursor cells (myoblasts) that usually lie in a satellite cell position on the surface of the sarcolemma beneath the external lamina (basement membrane) of myofibres. Thus these myoblasts (satellite cells), as is the whole surface of the myfibre and the neuromuscular junctions (NMJ), are in intimate cont...

Apoptosis is an active mechanism of cell death required for normal tissue homeostasis. Cells require survival signals to avoid the engagement of apoptosis. In the mammary gland, secretory epithelial cells are removed by apoptosis during involution. This cell loss coincides with matrix metalloproteinase activation and basement membrane degradation. In this paper we describe studies that confer a...

hedera helix  is widely used to treat bronchial asthma for many years. however, effects of this herb on lung histopathology is still far from clear. we aimed to determine the effect of oral administration of hedera helix on lung histopathology in a murine model of chronic asthma. balb/c  mice  were  divided  into  four  groups;   i  (placebo),  ii  (hedera  helix), iii (dexamethasone) and iv (c...