CRC 1340 junior researchers and equal opportunity officers as guest editors in special issue from MDPI

In addition to their work as researchers, subproject leaders and junior and equal opportunity officers, PD Dr. rer. nat. Antje Ludwig and PD Dr. med. Carmen Infante-Duarte were also guest editors for a special issue of MDPI Biology - Section: Cell Biology in 2021/2022.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic, non-cellular three-dimensional scaffold in which the cells of all tissues are embedded. The ECM is a macromolecular network composed of collagens and elastin, fibronectin, laminins, proteoglycans/glycosaminoglycans, and various other glycoproteins. The components of tissue ECM are involved in ECM-cell interactions and are important for cellular signal transduction. In this context, the ECM regulates tissue homeostasis, including regulation of pH and hydration of the microenvironment, controls cell migration and differentiation, and determines the biomechanical properties of a given tissue. The ECM is a highly dynamic structure in which the relationship between synthesis, degradation, and modification of its components determines its functional state. Pathological remodeling of the ECM is a hallmark of many diseases and is currently being discovered as a potential diagnostic and prognostic target.

For this special issue, we invited submissions of manuscripts on disease-specific pathological changes of the ECM that may serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and/or for monitoring disease progression or response to treatment. This includes all aspects of disease-related changes in the molecular composition and biomechanical properties of the ECM, novel approaches to noninvasive imaging with ECM-targeted probes, ECM-related biomarkers in the bloodstream, the ECM as a target for therapeutic and regenerative approaches, and in vitro and in vivo models for studying ECM biology.

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