Cell Signalling: A Role for Laminin Carbohydrates.:A Role for Laminin Carbohydrates

概要

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The extracellular matrix provides scaffolding and stability to tissues and organs. It also is interactive with the component cells, providing information which affects their behavior. Laminin is a major constituent of a specialized form of the extracellular matrix, the basal lamina. In adult tissues and organs, cells tightly adhere to a basal lamina while in embryonic tissues the basal laminae are believed to help orchestrate developmental processes. Cells respond to the information encoded by laminin by recognizing its structural features. A comprehensive picture of the molecular anatomy of laminin is available, including its overall molecular structure, its content of polypeptide subunits and amino acid sequences, its carbohydrate composition and the structures of its N-linked oligosaccharides. Both the protein and carbohydrate moieties are implicated in cellular recognition and cellular responses to laminin. We review the current state of knowledge about laminin structure and biological activities, especially focusing upon the putative roles of laminin carbohydrates in mediating cellular responses to laminin. Several models of cell surface interaction with laminin are proposed. As our knowledge of these interactions expands, further refinement of the models should provide better definition of the mechanisms by which laminin carbohydrates are able to prompt cell responses.
FCCA(Forum: Carbohydrates Coming of Age)の論文