Connective Tissue Protein Fights Bacterial Infection
Published:06 Jul.2021 Source:NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine
A connective tissue protein known to support the framework of organs also encourages immune responses that fight bacterial infections, while restraining responses that can be deadly in the condition called sepsis, a new study finds.
Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the work revolves around the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissues, once thought of as an inert framework that shapes bodily compartments, but increasingly recognized as a signaling partner with nearby cells in normal function, and a contributor to disease when signals go awry. Among the key players in the ECM are fibroblasts, the cells that make tough structural matrix proteins like collagen.