Heparan sulfate is necessary for the early formation of nascent fibronectin and collagen I fibrils at matrix assembly sites.

ABSTRACT: Fibronectin (FN), an essential component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), is assembled via a cell-mediated process in which integrin receptors bind secreted FN and mediate its polymerization into fibrils that extend between cells, ultimately forming an insoluble matrix. Our previous work using mutant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells identified the glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate (HS) and its binding to FN as essential for the formation of insoluble FN fibrils. In this study, we investigated the contributions of HS at an early stage of the assembly process using knockdown of exostosin-1 (EXT1), one of the glycosyltransferases required for HS chain synthesis. NIH 3T3 fibroblasts with decreased EXT1 expression exhibited a significant reduction in both FN and type I collagen in the insolu

SUBMITTER: Hill KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8801470 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature