Еxtracellular matrix as a cellular information microenvironment

Microarraying the cellular microenvironment

The in vivo stem cell microenvironment or niche is composed of an intricate blend of extracellular matrix proteins, soluble protein factors, immobilized protein factors, proteoglycans, small molecule signals, in some cases mineralized tissue, and numerous adjacent cell types, all of which likely vary in space and time. In concert, these many components present the cells with an ‘array’ of bioch...

Patterning the cellular microenvironment.

Across the Fibrotic Matrix Microenvironment

As with many types of cancer, cell motility is an important factor in the progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). HCC is associated with significant fibrosis in the liver. The fibrotic microenvironment in the liver is characterized by an altered composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and an abundance of growth factors that are likely conducive to migration of HCC c...

Cellular Microenvironment in Human Pathologies

1 Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy 2 Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Münster University Hospital, 48149 Münster, Germany 3 Instituto de Bioquı́mica Médica and Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 4Department of Chemistry, University ...

STAT3 as a Key Factor in Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Stem Cell

Background Recent studies revealed that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a decisive role in the regulation of tumor progression by manipulating tumor oncogenesis, angiogenesis and immune functions within tumor microenvironments. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which is a point of convergence for numerous oncogenic signalling pathways, is constitutively activ...