title: Fibulin-5: two for the price of one maintaining pelvic support.
abstract: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a disabling disorder in women characterized by a loss of pelvic floor support leading to the herniation of the uterus into or through the vagina. POP is a complex problem that likely involves multiple mechanisms, and available therapies are limited. In this issue of the JCI, Budatha et al. explore the dual role carried out by fibulin-5 in facilitating the assembly of normal elastic fibers and inhibiting MMP-9 activity, revealing a new mechanism critical to the maintenance of pelvic organ support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.  gnorthington@obgyn.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Northington
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004547:Elastic Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D004549:Elastin / Q000737:chemistry; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000473:pathology; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D014333:Tropoelastin / Q000737:chemistry; D014621:Vagina / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; C492373:FBLN5 protein, human; D014333:Tropoelastin; D004549:Elastin; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9