Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
J Cell Sci. 2009 Dec 15;122(Pt 24):4409-17. doi: 10.1242/jcs.041095.
Laminins are structural components of basement membranes. In addition, they are key extracellular-matrix regulators of cell adhesion, migration, differentiation and proliferation. This Commentary focuses on a relatively understudied aspect of laminin biology: how is laminin deposited into the extracellular matrix? This topic has fascinated researchers for some time, particularly considering the diversity of patterns of laminin that can be visualized in the matrix of cultured cells. We discuss current ideas of how laminin matrices are assembled, the role of matrix receptors in this process and how laminin-associated proteins modulate matrix deposition. We speculate on the role of signaling pathways that are involved in laminin-matrix deposition and on how laminin patterns might play an important role in specifying cell behaviors, especially directed migration. We conclude with a description of new developments in the way that laminin deposition is being studied, including the use of tagged laminin subunits that should allow the visualization of laminin-matrix deposition and assembly by living cells.
层粘连蛋白是基底膜的结构组成部分。此外，它们还是细胞黏附、迁移、分化和增殖的细胞外基质调节的关键物质。本述评主要关注层粘连蛋白生物学中一个相对研究较少的方面：层粘连蛋白如何沉积到细胞外基质中？这个问题长期以来一直吸引着研究人员的注意，尤其是考虑到在培养细胞的基质中可以观察到的层粘连蛋白模式的多样性。我们讨论了目前关于层粘连蛋白基质组装的观点，以及基质受体在这个过程中的作用，以及层粘连蛋白相关蛋白如何调节基质沉积。我们推测参与层粘连蛋白-基质沉积的信号通路的作用，以及层粘连蛋白模式如何在决定细胞行为方面发挥重要作用，特别是定向迁移。最后，我们描述了研究层粘连蛋白沉积的新方法的发展，包括使用标记的层粘连蛋白亚基，这应该可以允许活细胞可视化层粘连蛋白-基质沉积和组装。
