Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Mar;8(1):163-9.
doi: 10.1007/s12015-011-9278-y.

Basement membrane matrix (BME) has multiple uses with stem cells

Irina Arnaoutova  1 , Jay George, Hynda K Kleinman, Gabriel Benton
Affiliations
Review

Basement membrane matrix (BME) has multiple uses with stem cells

Irina Arnaoutova et al. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

The utilization of basement membrane matrix has helped to overcome many of the obstacles associated with stem cell research. Initially, there were several problems with investigating stem cells, including difficult extraction from tissues, the need for feeder layers, poor survival, minimal proliferation, limited differentiation in vitro, and inadequate survival when injected or transplanted in vivo. Given that the basement membrane is the first extracellular matrix that is produced by the developing embryo, it was quickly identified as an important factor for modulating stem cell behavior, and since then, basement membrane extract (BME) has been successfully employed in numerous methods as a substratum in vitro and as a bioactive support in vivo to overcome many of these problems. A thin BME coating is sufficient to maintain an undifferentiated phenotype during embryonic stem cell expansion, while a thick BME hydrogel may be employed to induce stem cell differentiation. BME also promotes stem cell survival for in vivo applications and provides a physiological environment for evaluating stem cell co-culture with other cell types. The present article provides a concise review of current methodologies utilizing BME for stem cell research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Cell Mol Med. 2011 Jun;15(6):1310-8 - PubMed
    1. Biointerphases. 2010 Sep;5(3):FA132-42 - PubMed
    1. Tissue Eng Part A. 2010 Jul;16(7):2355-67 - PubMed
    1. Nat Biotechnol. 2001 Oct;19(10):971-4 - PubMed
    1. Tissue Eng Part A. 2009 Sep;15(9):2459-70 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources