Publisher's Synopsis
The interaction of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules with cells is important for cell differentiation and maintenance of tissue architecture, and elucidating these interactions will contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of many diseases involving ECM, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthrosis, or atherosclerosis. This book contains current information on the interaction between some representative extracellular molecules and cells. Chapters in the first half discuss the functional roles of such molecules or their receptors, including collagenase, fibrillins, laminin, aggrecan, tenascin-C, elastin, collagen, and PDGF receptors. The following chapters examine the regulation of expression of matrix-specific gene products and present disease-related analyses. Providing a basis for new therapeutic approaches to inflammatory or degenerative diseases of the connective tissue, the data compiled in this book will be valuable for a wide range of biomedical scientists.
