Laminin-8 (alpha 4 beta 1 gamma 1) is one of the major laminin isoforms expressed in vascular endothelial basement membranes. Here we show that deletion of laminin-8 in mice affects angiogenesis under pathological conditions. Murine tumor models used in laminin alpha 4-deficient mice results in hyperneovascularization and significant promotion of tumor growth and metastasis. The higher tumor gr...

Laminin-8 ( 4 1 1) is one of the major laminin isoforms expressed in vascular endothelial basement membranes. Here we show that deletion of laminin-8 in mice affects angiogenesis under pathological conditions. Murine tumor models used in laminin 4-deficient mice results in hyperneovascularization and significant promotion of tumor growth and metastasis. The higher tumor growth rates in mutant m...

PURPOSE The authors previously hypothesized that laminin beta 2 (S-laminin) plays a role in directing photoreceptor development. The aim of this study was to examine the temporal and spatial expression pattern of beta 2 laminins in rat retina to test this hypothesis. METHODS Retinas from Sprague-Dawley rats were harvested on embryonic days (E) 14, 16, and 21, as well as on postnatal days (P) ...

Previous studies have suggested that basement membrane alone may induce ductal differentiation and morphogenesis in the undifferentiated embryonic pancreas. The mechanism by which this induction occurs has not been investigated. Studies of other organ systems such as the lungs and mammary glands, where differentiation has been shown to be induced by basement membrane, have suggested a major rol...

Laminin is a major glycoprotein of the basement membrane. Although its precise localization and orientation within this structure is unknown, it is presumably anchored to other macromolecules such as type IV collagen or proteoheparan sulfate. In vitro, laminin has the ability to self-assemble and to bind to type IV collagen molecules at distinct sites. To identify more precisely the domains of ...

Neural cells in culture (NG-108, PC12, chick dorsal root ganglion, chick spinal cord, and rat astrocytes) bind laminin with an apparent Kd of congruent to 10(-9) M. Laminin affinity chromatography of chick brain membranes washed with 150 mM NaCl and eluted with 0.2 M glycine buffer, pH 3.5, yields a single protein with an apparent molecular mass of 67 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamid...

The appearance of extracellular matrix molecules and their receptors represent key events in the differentiation of cells of the kidney. Steady-state mRNA levels for a laminin receptor, the laminin B1, B2, and A chains, and the alpha 1-chain of collagen IV (alpha 1[IV]), were examined in mouse kidneys at 16 d gestation and birth, when cell differentiation is active, and 1-3 wk after birth when ...

The induction of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering by neurally released agrin is a critical, early step in the formation of the neuromuscular junction. Laminin, a component of the muscle fiber basal lamina, also induces AChR clustering. We find that induction of AChR clustering in C2 myotubes is specific for laminin-1; neither laminin-2 (merosin) nor laminin-11 (a synapse-specific isofor...

BACKGROUND LDL oxidation in the vascular wall is associated with aldehyde modification of surrounding extracellular matrix proteins that may target autoimmune responses against vascular tissues. Here we investigated the possible influence of immunity against a malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified form of the basement membrane protein laminin on atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS IgM and IgG autoa...

Sulfatides (galactosylceramide-f-sulfate) but not neutral glycolipids or gangliosides adsorbed on plastic promote adhesion of the human melanoma cell line G361. Direct adhesion of G361 cells requires densities of sulfatide greater than 1 pmol/mm2. In the presence of laminili, however, specific adhesion of G361 cells to sulfatide or seminolipid (galactosylalkylacyl-glycerol-/3-sulfate) but not t...