Kielty Cay M, Sherratt Michael J, Shuttleworth C Adrian
School of Medicine, University of Manchester, UK.
J Cell Sci. 2002 Jul 15;115(Pt 14):2817-28. doi: 10.1242/jcs.115.14.2817.
Elastic fibres are essential extracellular matrix macromolecules comprising an elastin core surrounded by a mantle of fibrillin-rich microfibrils. They endow connective tissues such as blood vessels, lungs and skin with the critical properties of elasticity and resilience. The biology of elastic fibres is complex because they have multiple components, a tightly regulated developmental deposition, a multi-step hierarchical assembly and unique biomechanical functions. However, their molecular complexity is at last being unravelled by progress in identifying interactions between component molecules, ultrastructural analyses and studies of informative mouse models.
弹性纤维是重要的细胞外基质大分子，由富含原纤蛋白的微原纤维包裹的弹性蛋白核心组成。它们赋予血管、肺和皮肤等结缔组织弹性和韧性的关键特性。弹性纤维的生物学特性很复杂，因为它们有多个组成部分、发育沉积受到严格调控、组装过程具有多步骤分层结构以及独特的生物力学功能。然而，通过在识别组成分子之间的相互作用、超微结构分析和对信息丰富的小鼠模型的研究方面取得的进展，它们的分子复杂性终于正在被揭示。
