Week 7: ECM Flashcards
extracellular matrix (ECM)
network of macromolecules (proteins/polysaccharides) that are secreted and assembled into an organized meshwork
how is the ECM regulated?
the ECM is dynamically regulated because cells keep making new components or degrading older components ⇒ helps to regulate cell behavior
- Cells control the ECM but the ECM also controls cells ⇒ mutual relationship
how do cells survive?
cells won’t survive unless they bind to a tissue culture dish floor/walls or the ECM ⇒ they divide and grow but stop when the cells are conformed to one another (stop)
anchorage dependent proliferaiton
Most cells want to attach to something but Fully cancerous cells will just grow however and aren’t specific
- Half cancerous cells still want to bind to a substrate ⇒ tissue culture plates are coated specially
are tissue cultures in vitro or in vivo?
The tissue culture mimics the ECM in the body for normal cell behavior => this is in vivo
functions of the ECM (3)
- Scaffold to support and stabilize tissues
- Substrates for cell adhesion and migration
- Regulation of cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, and functions
what are the 3 major macromolecule classes in the ECM?
- Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) ⇒ sugars
- Fibrous proteins (insoluble) ⇒ collagen family
- Non Collagen glycoproteins
what do we call glycoproteins with unique sugars in the ECM specifically
proteoglycans
proteoglycans
core proteins with glycosaminoglycans
what is special about hylauronan?
it is just a glycosaminoglycan itself because is has no protein core
glycosaminoglycans
unbranched polysaccharide chains composed of repeating disaccharide units ⇒ an amino sugar usually sulfated and an uronic acid
what makes glycosaminoglycans unique? (2)
- Depending on the disaccharide species we classify them different
- Due to sulfate and carboxyl groups, GAGs carry a very high negative charge
4 main glycosaminoglycan groups?
- hyaluronan
- Chondroitin sulfate (aging supplements) and dermatan sulfate
- Heparan sulfate and heparin
- Keratan sulfate
→ 6 different types of GAGs but classified into 4 because some share the same core sugar backbone structure which make it the same repeated disaccharide with modifications
what do many GAGs have?
complex modifications on them where many sugar chains are highly sulfated ⇒ sulfate groups have neg charge
Hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid)
extremely large GAG with no sulfating and no core protein
- Forms a hydrogel in your body for resistance to compressive forces in tissues, joints, and soft parts of the body
what does Hyaluronan bind to?
water molecules (many)
how do GAGs link to core proteins? and what kind of bond is this?
covalently linked to a specific serine residue on the core protein (usually GAGs are 80 residues long)
T/F GAGs immediately start repeating their disulfide after linking to serine?
False; has a tetrasaccharide prior to the repeating
linkage tetrasaccharide
linkage of 4 sugars in proteoglycans that has to happen and be specific before the repeating disaccharide
- xylose - galactose x2 - glucoronic acid
decorin
(CS or DS) binds to collagen fibrils and regulates their assembly
- small with oney 1 GAG
aggrecan
major proteoglycan in cartilage that makes tissue flexible
- has many GAGS including chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate
what is the most abundant protein in animals?
collagen
fibrous proteins
major components of skin/bone providing tensile strength to tissues⇒ type 1 is the most common
- 25% of total protein mass and highly regulated for fiber formation
what are collagen molecules made of?
alpha chains that have a triple helix
alpha chains
series of triplet Gly-X-Y in collagen
- X is commonly proline
- Y is commonly hydroxyproline