cells Review Endothelial Basement Membrane Components and Their Products, Matrikines: Active Drivers of Pulmonary Hypertension? Ayse Ceren Mutgan 1, Katharina Jandl 2,3 and Grazyna Kwapiszewska 1,2,* 1 Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria;
[email protected] 2 Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research, 8010 Graz, Austria;
[email protected] 3 Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Pharmacology, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 31 July 2020; Accepted: 29 August 2020; Published: 3 September 2020 Abstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a vascular disease that is characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) due to progressive vascular remodeling. Extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in pulmonary arteries (PA) is one of the key features of vascular remodeling. Emerging evidence indicates that the basement membrane (BM), a specialized cluster of ECM proteins underlying the endothelium, may be actively involved in the progression of vascular remodeling. The BM and its steady turnover are pivotal for maintaining appropriate vascular functions. However, the pathologically elevated turnover of BM components leads to an increased release of biologically active short fragments, which are called matrikines. Both BM components and their matrikines can interfere with pivotal biological processes, such as survival, proliferation, adhesion, and migration and thus may actively contribute to endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the emerging role of the BM and its matrikines on the vascular endothelium and further discuss its implications on lung vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension. Keywords: IPAH; vascular remodeling; basement membrane; laminin; type IV collagen; matrikines; endostatin; BMPRII; barrier function; apoptosis 1.