An early feature of diabetic nephropathy is the alteration of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), which may result in microalbuminuria, subsequent macroproteinuria, and eventual chronic renal failure. Although type IV collagen is the main component of thickened GBM in diabetic nephropathy, cellular metabolism of each alpha chains of type IV collagen has not been well studied. To investigate...

AIM To evaluate the intracellular and peritumoral expression of matrix proteins in squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix using immunohistochemistry. METHODS 71 squamous cell carcinomas and 10 controls were stained for laminin, fibronectin, and collagen IV. Cytoplasmic staining in tumour cells and peritumoral deposition of matrix proteins were evaluated. The association between stainin...

Integrin α1β1 binding to collagen IV, which is mediated by the α1-inserted (I) domain, down-regulates collagen synthesis. When unligated, a salt bridge between Arg(287) and Glu(317) is thought to keep this domain in a low affinity conformation. Ligand binding opens the salt bridge leading to a high-affinity conformation. How modulating integrin α1β1 affinity alters collagen homeostasis is unkno...

The pathogenic mechanism of recurrent or chronic urinary tract infection is poorly understood. Escherichia coli cells bearing Dr fimbriae display unique tropism to the basement membrane (BM)-renal interstitium that enables the bacteria to cause chronic pyelonephritis in experimental mice. The renal receptors for Dr-fimbriated E. coli are type IV collagen and decay-accelerating factor (DAF). We ...

Several types of collagen contain cryptic antiangiogenic noncollagenous domains that are released upon proteolysis of extracellular matrix (ECM). Among those is Arresten, a collagen-derived antiangiogenic factor (CDAF) that is processed from α1 collagen IV. However, the conditions under which Arresten is released from collagen IV in vivo or whether the protein functions in tumor suppressor path...

The filtration unit of the kidney is the glomerulus, a capillary network supported by mesangial cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). Glomerular function is compromised in diabetic nephropathy (DN) by uncontrolled buildup of ECM, especially type IV collagen, which progressively occludes the capillaries. Increased levels of the ECM protein fibronectin (FN) are also present; however, its role in ...

The present study investigated whether Qianliening capsules (QC) affected the apoptosis of benign prostatic hyperplastia epithelial (BPH‑1) cells by regulating the extracellular matrix (ECM). The levels of fibronectin (FN) and collagen IV were determined in the culture medium of BPH‑1 cells maintained in normal medium and of BPH‑1 cells maintained in an environment rich in FN and collagen IV us...

In diabetes mellitus, thickening of basement membrane in capillaries and small vessels is a well-known finding and important in the progression of diabetic microangiopathy. We evaluated whether the plasma levels of type IV collagen and fibronectin, which are important factors of basement membrane, are related with the presence of diabetic microangiopathy. Plasma type IV collagen and fibronectin...

Type IV collagen, a 500-kilodalton (alpha 1)2(alpha 2)1 heterotrimer with noncollagenous domains (NC1) is the major molecule in most basement membranes in the body. In addition to its structural role as scaffolding, type IV collagen is involved in promoting adhesion and migration of various cell types in vitro, including rabbit corneal epithelial cells. This study assessed the effect of purifie...

Deposition of basement membrane extracellular matrix is influenced by adjacent tumor cells, and in some cases, the pattern of type IV collagen deposit is characteristic in malignant tumors. In this report, we analyzed the difference in type IV collagen deposition patterns between benign and malignant phyllodes tumors (PTs) of the breast. Of the 15 cases of PTs, 8 cases were benign PTs and 7 cas...