The extracellular matrix is the material outside cells that supplies structural and biochemical context to a tissue. Its composition and geometry affect adhesion, mechanics and signaling. The distinction between cell behavior and its environment is therefore interactive rather than a separation between active cells and inert filler.
A basement membrane is a specialized extracellular layer associated with the basal surface of an epithelium and other tissue interfaces. Breaching it is a mechanically and biologically distinct step from moving across a culture surface.
Matrix stiffness describes resistance of an extracellular matrix to deformation under a specified loading geometry and timescale. It differs from pore size, ligand density and fibre alignment, although changing a matrix formulation can alter all of them.
Articles by others on the same topic
There are currently no matching articles.