The lung is composed of airways and lung parenchyma, and the extracellular matrix (ECM)
contains the main building blocks of both components. The ECM provides physical support …

Emerging evidence suggests that altered components and posttranslational modifications of
proteins in the extracellular matrix (ECM) may both initiate and drive disease progression …

Biglycan, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, is a ubiquitous ECM component; however, its
biological role has not been elucidated in detail. Here we show that biglycan acts in …

Increased attention is paid to the structural components of tissues. These components are
mostly collagens and various proteoglycans. Emerging evidence suggests that altered …

Dystrophin is a 427 kDa sub-membrane cytoskeletal protein, associated with the inner
surface membrane and incorporated in a large macromolecular complex of proteins, the …

Proteoglycans control numerous normal and pathological processes, among which are
morphogenesis, tissue repair, inflammation, vascularization and cancer metastasis. During …

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by NADPH oxidase-4 (NOX4) have been shown
to initiate lung fibrosis. The migration of lung fibroblasts to the injured area is a crucial early …

The small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) are biologically active components of the
extracellular matrix (ECM), consisting of a protein core with leucine rich-repeat (LRR) motifs …

The fish swimbladder is a unique organ in vertebrate evolution and it functions for regulating
buoyancy in most teleost species. It has long been postulated as a homolog of the tetrapod …

Background Biglycan is a proteoglycan found in the extracellular matrix. We have previously
shown that biglycan is secreted from tumor endothelial cells and induces tumor …