Biological Chemistry

Abstract

Studies of extracellular matrix (ECM) biology in the nervous system have mainly focused on laminin, fibronectin and tenascinR, proteins that are present during nervous system development and normal function. However, during disease, fibrin, which physiologically is not present in the nervous tissue, is detected at nervous tissue lesions. This review summarizes evidence that correlates fibrin deposition with neuropathology and presents recent findings on cellular mechanisms and intracellular signaling pathways regulated by fibrin that might contribute to nervous system disease.