What does osteonectin do?
Function. Osteonectin is an acidic extracellular matrix glycoprotein that plays a vital role in bone mineralization, cell-matrix interactions, and collagen binding. Osteonectin also increases the production and activity of matrix metalloproteinases, a function important to invading cancer cells within bone.
What type of protein is osteonectin?
Osteonectin is a 32,000 dalton bone-specific protein that binds selectively to both hydroxyapatite and collagen. When osteonectin is bound to insolubilized type I collagen, the resultant complex binds synthetic apatite crystals and free calcium ions.
What is the Sparc gene?
SPARC Gene – Secreted Protein Acidic And Cysteine Rich This gene encodes a cysteine-rich acidic matrix-associated protein. The encoded protein is required for the collagen in bone to become calcified but is also involved in extracellular matrix synthesis and promotion of changes to cell shape.
What is Sparc biology?
Abstract. An extracellular matrix-associated glycoprotein expressed in a variety of tissues during embryogenesis and repair, SPARC contains modular domains that can function independently to bind cells and matrix components.
What are Osteoids?
Osteoid is a chemical that the body uses to make bone. It is made by specialized cells called osteoblasts which are found inside bones. When viewed under the microscope, new osteoid looks blue but later turns pink as minerals such as calcium are added to make it stronger.
What are bone lining cells?
Bone lining cells (BLC’s) cover inactive (nonremodeling) bone surfaces, particularly evident in the adult skeleton. BLC’s are thinly extended over bone surfaces, have flat or slightly ovoid nuclei, connect to other BLC’s via gap junctions, and send cell processes into surface canaliculi.
What is the role of the osteopontin?
Osteopontin (OPN) is a versatile protein that acts on various receptors which are associated with different signalling pathways implicated in cancer. OPN mediates critical processes for cancer progression such as immune response, cell adhesion and migration, and tumorigenesis.
What are lamellae in bone?
The alternating bright and dark concentric rings (lamellae) are due to an alternating arrangement of collagen fibres in the bone matrix. The collagen fibres in each layer are parallel to each other, but at right angles to the fibres in the alternating layers on either side.
What is the Canaliculus?
Medical Definition of canaliculus : a minute canal in a bodily structure: as. a : one of the hairlike channels ramifying a haversian system in bone and linking the lacunae with one another and with the haversian canal.