| Modification Notes |
Elastic fibers endow loose connective tissue with a resilience that complements the tensile strength of collagenous fibers. They are composed of the protein elastin and a network of 10-12 nm microfibrils, which contain several glycoproteins, including fibrillin-1, fibrillin-2 and the microfibril-associated glycoproteins MAGP-1 and MAGP-2. MAGP-2 functions in maintaining extracellular matrix homeostasis through the stabilization of Type I Procollagen and through the binding of fibrillins to tropoelastin in the extracellular matrix of several elastic and non-elastic tissues. MAGP-2 may function outside of its role in elastic fibers and play a role in cellular differentiation through the binding of Notch 1, which leads to the release of Notch 1 extracellular domain, the subsequent activation of its signaling pathway and the release of soluble Jagged1. |