title: An active role for basement membrane assembly and modification in tissue sculpting.
abstract: Basement membranes are a dense, sheet-like form of extracellular matrix (ECM) that underlie epithelia and endothelia, and surround muscle, fat and Schwann cells. Basement membranes separate tissues and protect them from mechanical stress. Although traditionally thought of as a static support structure, a growing body of evidence suggests that dynamic basement membrane deposition and modification instructs coordinated cellular behaviors and acts mechanically to sculpt tissues. In this Commentary, we highlight recent studies that support the idea that far from being a passive matrix, basement membranes play formative roles in shaping tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Duke University, Science Drive, Box 90388, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Meghan A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Morrissey
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Duke University, Science Drive, Box 90388, Durham, NC 27708, USA david.sherwood@duke.edu.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Sherwood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009928:Organ Specificity
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen