Extracellular Matrix in the Regulation of Stem Cell Differentiation

Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins fill the space between cells in multicellular organisms, contributing to the structure of organs and tissues. The mechanical properties of ECM are well studied. At present, the role of individual ECM components and the three-dimensional tissue-specific matrices in the regulation of cell functional activity, proliferation, migration, acquisition of a specialized phenotype and its maintenance is intensively studied. In this review, we described main ECM structural proteins, enzymes, and extracellular vesicles and present the data on the participation of ECM components in the regulation of stem cell differentiation and self-maintenance, as well as approaches to the modeling of stem cells microenvironment using decellularized ECM.