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The hidden hero of wound healing: How does fibronectin promote tissue repair?
In the process of human body repairing itself, fibronectin is a little-noticed hero. As an important component of the extracellular matrix, the presence of fibronectin is crucial, especially during the wound healing process. This high molecular weight glycoprotein not only promotes cell adhesion and growth, but also plays an important role in tissue repair.
Fibronectin is a high molecular weight glycoprotein that can bind to membrane-spanning receptor proteins such as integrins and other extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen and fibrin.
Fibronectin exists as a dimer, two nearly identical monomers linked by a disulfide bond. Different fibronectin isoforms are produced through alternative splicing of genes. In this way, the human body can produce a variety of fibronectin with different functions. These proteins have diverse structural modules, mainly including three modules: type I, type II and type III.
During the wound healing process, fibronectin is essential for the continuous repair of damaged tissue. At the site of injury, fibronectin works with fibrin to form a blood clot to stop bleeding and protect underlying tissue. As the repair process progresses, fibroblasts and macrophages begin to remodel the area, degrading the temporary clot matrix that forms and replacing it with a matrix that more closely resembles normal surrounding tissue.
Fibronectin plays a role in forming an appropriate matrix for cell migration and growth during the wound healing process.
In this process, enzymes secreted by fibroblasts digest plasma fibronectin, and then secrete cellular fibronectin and assemble it into an insoluble matrix. The key to this process is that fragments of fibronectin can expose integrin binding sites and promote cell adhesion and contraction, which are important steps in wound healing.
Not only in wound healing, fibronectin also plays a key role in embryonic development. By guiding cell attachment and migration, fibronectin ensures normal embryonic development. Embryos lacking fibronectin face major structural defects during development.
According to research, development without a normal fibronectin matrix can lead to developmental defects and hinder the development of important processes such as the sural intestine and neural tube.
In the development of cancer, the expression of fibronectin and its interaction with cell receptors are also extremely important. Fibronectin expression is increased in certain types of lung cancer and may promote tumor aggressiveness and resistance to drugs. These associations suggest that fibronectin may become a new target for cancer treatment.
However, fibronectin exhibits functions beyond wound healing and embryonic development. This protein also plays a role in other physiological processes, such as helping to prevent pathogen colonization in saliva, further supporting its role in protective immunity.
In the extracellular matrix, fibronectin is involved in cell adhesion, growth and migration, and other important physiological functions.
Ultimately, fibronectin's function relies on its elaborate structure that ensures its interactions between cells and the matrix. By understanding these complex networks, we hope to develop more effective therapeutic strategies that can help improve wound healing and the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatments.
How else can we make good use of this hidden hero to improve human health in future medical exploration?
