Preparation of Extracellular Matrices Produced by Cultured and Primary Fibroblasts.

Fibroblasts secrete and organize extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides structural support for their adhesion, migration, and tissue organization, besides regulating cellular functions such as growth and survival. Cell-to-matrix interactions are vital for vertebrate development. Disorders in these processes have been associated with fibrosis, developmental malformations, cancer, and other diseases.

Preparation of extracellular matrices produced by cultured and primary fibroblasts.

Fibroblasts secrete and organize extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides structural support for their adhesion, migration, and tissue organization, besides regulating cellular functions such as growth and survival. Cell-to-matrix interactions are vital for vertebrate development. Disorders in these processes have been associated with fibrosis, developmental malformations, cancer, and other diseases.

Stromagenesis: the changing face of fibroblastic microenvironments during tumor progression.

During tumorigenesis, reciprocal changes in stromal fibroblasts and tumor cells induce changes to the neoplastic microenvironmental landscape. In stromagenesis, both the complex network of bi-directional stromal fibroblastic signaling pathways and the stromal extracellular matrix are modified. The presence of a 'primed' stroma during the early, reversible stage of tumorigenesis is optimal for stromal-directed therapeutic intervention.