The extracellular matrix as a key regulator of intracellular signalling networks

2018/03/06 by Jordan F. Hastings, Jordan F Hastings, Joanna N. Skhinas +6 · 249 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Medicine · #Biochemistry #Biology #Cell Adhesion Molecules Research #Cell biology #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions #Chemistry #Computational biology #Ecology #Extracellular matrix #Intracellular #Key (lock) #Regulator #Signaling Pathways in Disease #Signalling

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/bph.14195

published in British Journal of Pharmacology 176(1), 82-92 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2018/03/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a salient feature of all solid tissues within the body. This complex, acellular entity is composed of hundreds of individual molecules whose assembly, architecture and biomechanical properties are critical to controlling the behaviour and phenotype of the different cell types residing within tissues. Cells are the basic unit of life and the core building block of tissues and organs. At their simplest, they follow a set of rules, governed by their genetic code and effected through the complex protein signalling networks that these genes encode. These signalling networks assimilate and process the information received by the cell to control cellular decisions that govern cell fate. The ECM is the biggest provider of external stimuli to cells and as such is responsible for influencing intracellular signalling dynamics. In this review, we discuss the inclusion of ECM as a central regulatory signalling sub-network in computational models of cellular decision making, with a focus on its role in diseases such as cancer. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Translating the Matrix. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.1/issuetoc.

Cited by

• Adipose tissue fibrosis: the unwanted houseguest invited by obesity
• A Simple Framework for Agent-Based Modeling with Extracellular Matrix
• MatriCom, a single-cell RNA-sequencing data mining tool to infer cell–extracellular matrix interactions
• A guide to building the matrisome interactome: from computational predictions to experimental validation
• Transcriptome Analysis of Penaeus vannamei Hepatopancreas in Response to Lactococcus garvieae Infection in Low Salinity
• The skeletal muscle proteomic determinants of neuromuscular function in young and older women following 8 weeks of resistance training
• Recent advances in understanding the complexities of metastasis. [europepmc]
• Role of Extracellular Matrix in Gastrointestinal Cancer-Associated Angiogenesis. [europepmc]
• Concepts of extracellular matrix remodelling in tumour progression and metastasis. [europepmc]
• Integrated transcriptome meta-analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and matched adjacent pancreatic tissues. [europepmc]
• Immunomodulatory Role of the Extracellular Matrix Within the Liver Disease Microenvironment. [europepmc]
• Stiffness increases with myofibroblast content and collagen density in mesenchymal high grade serous ovarian cancer. [europepmc]
• Co-evolution of matrisome and adaptive adhesion dynamics drives ovarian cancer chemoresistance. [europepmc]
• Extracellular Matrices and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts: Targets for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy? [europepmc]
• Role and Evolution of the Extracellular Matrix in the Acquisition of Complex Multicellularity in Eukaryotes: A Macroalgal Perspective. [europepmc]
• Architecture and Composition Dictate Viscoelastic Properties of Organ-Derived Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels. [europepmc]
• Fibulin 2 Is Hypermethylated and Suppresses Tumor Cell Proliferation through Inhibition of Cell Adhesion and Extracellular Matrix Genes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. [europepmc]
• The ECM: To Scaffold, or Not to Scaffold, That Is the Question. [europepmc]
• The Role of Decorin and Biglycan Signaling in Tumorigenesis. [europepmc]
• The Molecular Interaction of Collagen with Cell Receptors for Biological Function. [europepmc]
• ELK3 Controls Gastric Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Regulating ECM Remodeling-Related Genes. [europepmc]
• The extracellular matrix alteration, implication in modulation of drug resistance mechanism: friends or foes? [europepmc]
• The Extracellular Matrix: Its Composition, Function, Remodeling, and Role in Tumorigenesis. [europepmc]
• Proteoglycans in Articular Cartilage and Their Contribution to Chondral Injury and Repair Mechanisms. [europepmc]
• The extracellular matrix in hepatocellular carcinoma: Mechanisms and therapeutic vulnerability. [europepmc]
• Extracellular matrix-induced signaling pathways in mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. [europepmc]
• Adipose tissue fibrosis: the unwanted houseguest invited by obesity. [europepmc]
• Extracellular matrix remodeling in the tumor immunity. [europepmc]
• Modeling the extracellular matrix in cell migration and morphogenesis: a guide for the curious biologist. [europepmc]
• Regulation of ferroptosis by PI3K/Akt signaling pathway: a promising therapeutic axis in cancer. [europepmc]
• Mechanisms of assembly and remodelling of the extracellular matrix. [europepmc]

Related

• Extracellular matrix and cell signalling: the dynamic cooperation of integrin, proteoglycan and growth factor receptor
• Modeling the extracellular matrix in cell migration and morphogenesis: A guide for the curious biologist
• The extracellular matrix at a glance
• A guide to building the matrisome interactome: from computational predictions to experimental validation
• Cell biology: Networks, regulation, pathways