Nidogen in development and disease

Uwe Töpfer; Anne Holz

doi:10.3389/fcell.2024.1380542

Nidogen in development and disease

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2024 Mar 14:12:1380542. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1380542. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Uwe Töpfer¹, Anne Holz²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
² Institut für Allgemeine und Spezielle Zoologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany.

Abstract

Nidogen, also known as entactin, is a multifunctional glycoprotein that plays a crucial role in the maintenance of the basement membrane (BM), morphogenesis and neuronal plasticity. This review aims to provide an overview of the structural features, molecular interactions and diverse functions associated with Nidogen. As a bridging molecule within the BM, Nidogen acts as a linchpin connecting various extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Its involvement in tissue development, homeostasis, and pathological conditions underscores its biological and medical significance. We discuss the current state of knowledge regarding Nidogen's role in tissue maintenance, cell adhesion, migration, and signaling, shedding light on its intricate contributions to physiological and pathological processes.

Keywords: basement membrane; collagen; dandy-walker malformation; entactin; extracellular matrix; laminin.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)—project number 512432663 (TO 1599/1 to UT) and project number 272140094 (HO 2559/5-3 to AH).