Heavy mice and lighter things: how solid-state NMR spectroscopy gives a new view of the extracellular matrix

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the structural material that surrounds cells in every tissue, provides a scaffold to keep cells in place and gives each tissue its macroscopic mechanical properties. The ECM has long been considered by biologists and chemists alike to be an essentially passive material. That view is now being overturned and increasing evidence points to the extracellular matrix actively communicating with cells and being a significant driver in cell behaviour. For instance, aged cells cultured on young ECM quickly adopt a more youthful phenotype, whilst young cells cultured on aged ECM become senescent [1]. The ECM composition and 3D architecture is specific to each tissue, yet changes often drastically in ageing and diseases like cancer [2-6]. It is known that cells interact with the ECM through intermolecular interactions between ECM components and proteins on the cell surface but why changes in the ECM lead to altered cell behaviour is poorly understood. These observations raise key questions: what is the molecular structure of the ECM and how does the ECM communicate its properties to cells? The Duer group has spent the last 20 years working to answer these questions using an important physical chemistry tool: solid-state NMR spectroscopy (SSNMR).