Insoluble Extracellular Matrix Gives Positional Information to Cells and Regulates Morphogenesis as a Morphocreator

概要

論文の詳細を見る
Recent studies on molecular pathogenesis of connective tissue diseases revealed that extracellular matrix(ECM)components are essential for development and morphogenesis in vivo. Targeted destruction of genes for ECM molecules in mice induced skeletal abnormalities and in some cases caused mortality of the animals, indicating that product proteins of these genes are indispensable for development and morphogenesis. Cell position-dependent expression of genes for α1(I)and α2(I) also indicates that type I collagen controls morphogenesis by giving positional information to the cells. Morphogens and homeodomain proteins also provide positional information and regulate morphogenesis. But the latter molecules only pertain to the planning or design of morphogenesis;that is, they are morpho-directing molecules or morphodirectors. On the other hand, ECM components as well as cell adhesion molecules stimulate morphogenesis by creating multicellular organization, and thus they are morphocreating molecules or morphocreators. Investigation of the signal transduction cascades of these morphocreators and their molecular mechanisms of action should prove effective for giving us a truer understanding of morphogenesis and development.
日本結合組織学会の論文
1998-12-25