About this Research Topic

Background

The architecture and mechanical properties of the ECM play a critical role in dictating cell identity or phenotype by triggering changes in transcription, differentiation, growth, morphology, motility, metabolism, and viability. Specific cell types are responsible for the biosynthesis and subsequent organization of ECM proteins in a tissue-specific manner, and this is essential during development, homeostasis, and tissue repair. Changes to ECM composition, organization, and biomechanics are commonly seen in several diseases including tissue fibrosis, autoimmune/inflammatory disorders, and cancer. Dysregulated ECM plays a key role in driving these pathologies and as such is an important and highly active research area to understand potential routes for therapeutic intervention. The ‘omics’ revolution in recent years coupled with significant advances in bioimaging tool development has begun to yield exciting new insights into precise changes in ECM structure, remodeling, biochemical composition, and mechanical properties, as well as unraveling molecular mechanisms in tissue-resident cells that drive these changes. Understanding ECM biology in context and the consequences to cell behavior is a critical and timely research challenge that requires multidisciplinary approaches to provide a more comprehensive view of this complex area and pave the way for new therapies.

The extracellular matrix has gained increasing interest from both fundamental and translational research domains. Defining the complex biological, structural, and mechanical properties of ECM in development and disease has attracted significant attention from diverse scientific disciplines and resulted in the development of new probes, in vitro/in vivo models, high resolution/in situ imaging approaches, bioanalytical techniques, computational tools and in silico modeling. These new discoveries have provided significant insight into the biological mechanisms underpinning ECM deposition, crosslinking, organization, and turnover. However, the diverse nature of these studies can be challenging to navigate or access across disciplines which hinders the integration of multidisciplinary approaches to provide a better understanding of ECM biology. This topic collection aims to combine research from multiple disciplines in one place for better visibility of research from all fields to encourage greater integration of approaches in the future for a more holistic understanding of ECM and tissue biology.

In this Research Topic, we are inviting articles with the following themes:
• matrix modifications by environmental factors (such as pathogens or UV), during aging, or other external
stressors in the development or disease
• novel tools or methods for matrix visualization (e.g. imaging) or composition (e.g. proteomics)
• 3D models to mimic changes to the ECM in tissue inflammation, fibrosis, cancer, or development
• ECM biomechanics and interplay with cells during tissue inflammation, fibrosis, cancer, or development of qualitative and quantitative matrix modifications by tissue-resident cells (e.g.: ECM biosynthesis, matrix modifying enzymes) in tissue inflammation, fibrosis, cancer, or development
• mathematical models of ECM that aim to understand changes to tissue mechanics or effects on resident cells

We accept different article types including Original Research articles, Mini-Reviews, Brief Research Reports, and Perspectives. A full list of accepted article types, including descriptions, can be found at this link.

Keywords: Quantitative and qualitative ECM modifications, Development, Disease, State of the art microscopy techniques, Matrix analysis tools, Mathematical modelling

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