The Extracellular Matrix Contributes to Mechanotransduction in Uterine Fibroids
Figure 1
Interconnected structural components of cells and ECM. Quick freeze, deep etch electron micrograph of a fetal ear cartilage chondrocyte cell to illustrate the integration of structures inside and outside the cell. The ECM (containing a meshwork of proteoglycans, collagen, fibronectin, and laminin), the cell membrane (integrins receptors), and the cell (containing microtubules) are visualized. In the ECM the thinnest fibrils in the meshwork are nm and are presumed to be proteoglycans. The larger thicker fibrils are collagen. Micrograph courtesy of Robert Mecham and John Heuser, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA. This figure illustrates that mechanical forces can be transmitted across the cell surface and into the cell by means of interconnected structural components (as discussed in [4]).
