Probing the effect of glycosaminoglycan depletion on integrin interactions with collagen I fibrils in the native extracellular matrix environment.

ABSTRACT: Fibrillar collagen-integrin interactions in the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate a multitude of cellular processes and cell signalling. Collagen I fibrils serve as the molecular scaffolding for connective tissues throughout the human body and are the most abundant protein building blocks in the ECM. The ECM environment is diverse, made up of several ECM proteins, enzymes, and proteoglycans. In particular, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), anionic polysaccharides that decorate proteoglycans, become depleted in the ECM with natural aging and their mis-regulation has been linked to cancers and other diseases. The impact of GAG depletion in the ECM environment on collagen I protein interactions and on mechanical properties is not well understood. Here, we integrate ELISA protein binding assays wit

SUBMITTER: Roth J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9793976 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature