Matrigel is the

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name ...

for the solubilized basement membrane matrix secreted by Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse

sarcoma A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal (connective tissue) origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sa ...

cells produced by Corning Life Sciences. Matrigel resembles the laminin/collagen IV-rich basement membrane extracellular environment found in many tissues and is used by cell biologists as a substrate (

basement membrane The basement membrane is a thin, pliable sheet-like type of extracellular matrix that provides cell and tissue support and acts as a platform for complex signalling. The basement membrane sits between epithelial tissues including mesothelium and ...

matrix) for culturing cells.

Cell culture

A common laboratory procedure is to dispense small volumes of chilled (4 °C) liquid Matrigel onto plastic tissue culture labware. When incubated at 37 °C (body temperature) the Matrigel proteins polymerize (solidify) producing a recombinant basement membrane that covers the labware's surface. Cells cultured on Matrigel demonstrate complex cellular behavior that is otherwise difficult to observe under laboratory conditions. For example,

endothelial cells The endothelium is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the ves ...

create intricate spiderweb-like networks on Matrigel-coated surfaces but not on plastic surfaces. Such networks are highly suggestive of the microvascular

capillary A capillary is a small blood vessel from 5 to 10 micrometres (μm) in diameter. Capillaries are composed of only the tunica intima, consisting of a thin wall of simple squamous endothelial cells. They are the smallest blood vessels in the body: ...

systems that suffuse living tissues with blood. Hence, Matrigel allows them to observe the process by which endothelial cells construct such networks that are of great research interest.

Metastasis model

In some instances researchers may prefer to use greater volumes of Matrigel to produce thick three-dimensional gels. Thick gels induce cells to migrate from the gel's surface to its interior. This migratory behavior is studied by researchers as a model of tumor cell

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

Cancer drug screening

Pharmaceutical scientists use Matrigel to screen drug molecules. A typical experiment consists of adding a test molecule to Matrigel and observing cellular behavior. Test molecules that promote endothelial cell network formation are candidates for tissue regeneration therapies whereas test molecules that inhibit endothelial cell network formation are candidates for anti-cancer therapies. Likewise, test molecules that inhibit tumor cell migration may also have potential as anti-cancer drugs. Matrigel is also commonly used to prepare human tumor xenografts in rodents as part of a cancer drug discovery program. Matrigel is mixed with immortalized human

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

cells and the mixture is injected subcutaneously in immunodeficient mice. A human tumor usually forms in two to four weeks. This model system allows a researcher to test an anti-cancer compound in a surrogate host.

Constituents

The ability of Matrigel to stimulate complex cell behavior is a consequence of its

heterogeneous Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts often used in the sciences and statistics relating to the uniformity of a substance or organism. A material or image that is homogeneous is uniform in composition or character (i.e. color, shape, siz ...

composition. The chief components of Matrigel are structural proteins such as

laminin Laminins are a family of glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix of all animals. They are major components of the basal lamina (one of the layers of the basement membrane), the protein network foundation for most cells and organs. The laminin ...

nidogen Nidogens, formerly known as entactins, are a family of sulfated monomeric glycoproteins located in the basal lamina of parahoxozoans. Two nidogens have been identified in humans: nidogen-1 (NID1) and nidogen-2 (NID2). Remarkably, vertebrates are st ...

, collagen and heparan sulfate proteoglycans which present cultured cells with the adhesive

peptide Peptides (, ) are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Long chains of amino acids are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. ...

sequences that they would encounter in their natural environment. Also present are

growth factors A growth factor is a naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cell proliferation, wound healing, and occasionally cellular differentiation. Usually it is a secreted protein or a steroid hormone. Growth factors are important for re ...

like TGF-beta and EGF that prevent differentiation and promote proliferation of many cell types. A growth-factor-reduced Matrigel is also available. Matrigel contains other proteins in small amounts and its exact composition can vary from lot to lot. For this reason, Matrigel may not be appropriate for experiments that require precise knowledge of all proteins and concentrations.

Embryonic stem cells

Matrigel is also used as an attachment substrate in

embryonic stem cell Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they cons ...

culture. When embryonic stem cells are grown in the absence of feeder cells, extracellular matrix components are needed to maintain the

pluripotent Pluripotency: These are the cells that can generate into any of the three Germ layers which imply Endodermal, Mesodermal, and Ectodermal cells except tissues like the placenta. According to Latin terms, Pluripotentia means the ability for many thin ...

, undifferentiated state (self-renewal). One of these matrices that can be used is diluted Matrigel. When used undiluted, Matrigel promotes stem cell growth and differentiation.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Corning Matrigel MatrixCultrex BME
Cell culture media Extracellular matrix