Nerger Bryan A, Nelson Celeste M
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Curr Opin Biomed Eng. 2020 Mar;13:103-112. doi: 10.1016/j.cobme.2019.12.013. Epub 2020 Jan 3.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a heterogeneous mixture of proteoglycans and fibrous proteins that form the non-cellular component of tissues and organs. During normal development, homeostasis, and disease progression, the ECM provides dynamic structural and molecular signals that influence the form and function of individual cells and multicellular tissues. Here, we review recent developments in the design and fabrication of engineered ECMs and the application of these systems to study the morphogenesis of epithelial tissues. We emphasize emerging techniques for reproducing the structural and molecular complexity of native ECM, and we highlight how these techniques may be used to decouple the different signals that drive epithelial morphogenesis. Engineered models of native ECM will enable further investigation of the dynamic mechanisms by which the microenvironment influences tissue morphogenesis.
细胞外基质（ECM）是蛋白聚糖和纤维蛋白的异质混合物，构成组织和器官的非细胞成分。在正常发育、稳态维持和疾病进展过程中，ECM提供动态的结构和分子信号，影响单个细胞和多细胞组织的形态和功能。在此，我们综述了工程化ECM设计与制造的最新进展，以及这些系统在研究上皮组织形态发生中的应用。我们强调了用于再现天然ECM结构和分子复杂性的新兴技术，并突出了这些技术如何用于分离驱动上皮形态发生的不同信号。天然ECM的工程模型将有助于进一步研究微环境影响组织形态发生的动态机制。
