Science· 2023Q1· Review
The extracellular matrix and the immune system: A mutually dependent relationship
- 504citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2023year
Short summary
The extracellular matrix (ECM), comprising over a third of tissue structures, is an underexplored component in immunology, with its role in determining immune cell localization and function only beginning to be understood.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- The extracellular matrix (ECM) constitutes at least one-third of tissue structures.
- The ECM's role in determining immune cell localization and function is a recent area of study.
- Immune cells' influence on ECM complexity is also an area needing further investigation.
- The review aims to explore the biological discoveries at the interface of immunology and matrix biology.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
For decades, immunologists have studied the role of circulating immune cells in host protection, with a more recent appreciation of immune cells resident within the tissue microenvironment and the intercommunication between nonhematopoietic cells and immune cells. However, the extracellular matrix (ECM), which comprises at least a third of tissue structures, remains relatively underexplored in immunology. Similarly, matrix biologists often overlook regulation of complex structural matrices by the immune system. We are only beginning to understand the scale at which ECM structures determine immune cell localization and function. Additionally, we need to better understand how immune cells dictate ECM complexity. This review aims to highlight the potential for biological discovery at the interface of immunology and matrix biology.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2023 · DOI ↗
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Field: Immunology and Allergy
Immunology and AllergyMedicine