Many cells in tissues are in contact with a highly specialized extracellular matrix, termed the basement membrane. Basement membranes have certain common components, including collagen IV, laminins, heparan sulfate proteoglycans, and growth factors which have a wide variety of biological activities. Extracts of basement membrane-rich tissue have yielded material suitable for studying cell-basement membrane interactions. Cells cultured in a 3D basement membrane matrix allow the in vitro modeling of cell behavior, including differentiation, apoptosis, steps in capillary formation, cancer growth, invasion, etc. It has also led to the development of widely used assays for invasion and angiogenesis and more recently for tumor cell dormancy. Importantly, stem cell culture in 3D basement membrane matrices has provided important advances that allow for expansion of these cells in feeder layer-free cultures and for studying their differentiation. 3D basement membrane culture has allowed the molecular dissection of pathways and genes important in differentiation, aided in the identification of progenitor cells, and led to the development of tissue constructs which may be models for regenerative medicine. This review will outline how this technology has led to important research assays and findings that have advanced our understanding of tissue development and disease and aided in the preclinical development of various therapeutics.
Published 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.