Extracellular Matrix
Definition
The scaffold of collagen, elastin, proteoglycans and glycoproteins that cells sit in and attach to. Repair is a matter of remodelling it, so matrix turnover is the common language of wound and skin research.
Terms used in this definition
Other entries this definition refers to.
Where this term comes up
Entries whose definition mentions Extracellular Matrix.
What this means for research sourcing
Cell-biology terms provide context for interpreting peptide research at the cellular level. See how these concepts apply to compounds Volta supplies for study.
Related Terms in Cell Biology
Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)
A family of zinc-dependent enzymes that cut extracellular matrix proteins, collagen included. Controlled MMP activity is necessary for remodelling; sustained excess is degradation, which is what enzyme-inhibitor peptides are formulated against.
Wound Healing
The staged repair sequence of clotting, inflammation, new tissue formation and remodelling that follows injury. Animal wound models are the dominant evidence base for the healing peptides, and the staging is why a result at one time point says little about another.
Telomere
The repetitive DNA cap at the end of a chromosome, which shortens a little with each division. Telomere length is a popular and heavily disputed marker of biological ageing.
Active Site
The region of an enzyme where substrate binds and catalysis occurs. Inhibitors that occupy it compete directly with substrate, which is a different mechanism from binding elsewhere and changing the shape.
Biochemical Pathway
A linked series of reactions converting one molecule into another, each step usually enzyme-catalysed. Describing a compound as acting on a pathway says where it intervenes, not what the whole system does in response.
Homeostasis
The maintenance of internal conditions within a narrow range by opposing regulatory mechanisms. It is why a system perturbed in one direction usually produces a compensating response rather than a simple linear change.
Epigenetics
Changes in gene expression that do not alter the DNA sequence, such as methylation and histone modification. They are heritable through cell division and are one route by which a transient exposure has a lasting effect.
Biosynthesis
Production of a molecule by a living system rather than by chemical synthesis. Recombinant expression in bacterial or mammalian cells is the biosynthetic route to peptides too long to assemble stepwise.