The Extracellular Matrix: an Overview
Knowledge of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential to understand cellular differentiation, tissue development, and tissue remodeling.This volume of the series “Biology of Extracellular Matrix” provides a timely overview of the structure, regulation,
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Robert P. Mecham Editor
The Extracellular Matrix: an Overview
Editor Professor Robert P. Mecham Washington University School of Medicine Department of Cell Biology & Physiology 660 South Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8228 St. Louis, MO 63110 USA [email protected]
ISSN 0887-3224 e-ISSN 2191-1959 ISBN 978-3-642-16554-2 e-ISBN 978-3-642-16555-9 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-16555-9 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011920814 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: deblik, Berlin Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface to the Series
The first volume of the Biology of Extracellular Matrix series was published in 1986 and was titled “Regulation of Matrix Accumulation.” Twelve volumes in the series were published over a period of 12 years and each volume provided timely reviews on current topics of ECM biology. With the contraction of the publishing industry in the late 1990s, Academic Press, the former Series publisher, was purchased by Elsevier and they decided to discontinue most of their monograph series, including the Biology of Extracellular Matrix. I was able to retain the rights to the series title and was pleased when Springer agreed to resume publication. The volume “The Extracellular Matrix: An Overview,” Robert P. Mecham (Editor), is the first under the new publisher. It should also be noted that the series is being published in collaboration with the American Society for Matrix Biology.
The Study of Extracellular Matrix Biology Over the years, our understanding of extracellular matrix (ECM) function has evolved from the early concept of a static “connective tissue” that ties everything together to one of a dynamic biomaterial that provides strength and elasticity, interacts with cell-surface receptors, and controls the availability of growth factors. There is now no question that ECM is an important part of cell biology, and to understand cellular differentiation, tissue development, and tissue remodeling requires an in-depth consideration of the ECM components that are produced by the cell. As we
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