Distinct domains in the matricellular protein Lonely heart are crucial for cardiac extracellular matrix formation and heart function in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: The biomechanical properties of extracellular matrices (ECMs) are critical to many biological processes, including cell-cell communication and cell migration and function. The correct balance between stiffness and elasticity is essential to the function of numerous tissues, including blood vessels and the lymphatic system, and depends on ECM constituents (the "matrisome") and on their level of interconnection. However, despite its physiological relevance, the matrisome composition and organization remain poorly understood. Previously, we reported that the ADAMTS-like protein Lonely heart (Loh) is critical for recruiting the type IV collagen-like protein Pericardin to the cardiac ECM. Here, we utilized Drosophila as a simple and genetically amenable invertebrate model for studying Lo

SUBMITTER: Rotstein B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5961049 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature