What is elastic fiber?
Table of Contents
What is elastic fiber?
Elastic fibres are essential extracellular matrix macromolecules comprising an elastin core surrounded by a mantle of fibrillin-rich microfibrils. They endow connective tissues such as blood vessels, lungs and skin with the critical properties of elasticity and resilience.
What is elastic fiber and its function?
Elastic fibers are extracellular components of higher vertebrates and confer elasticity and resilience to numerous tissues and organs such as large blood vessels, lungs, and skin. Their formation and maturation take place in a complex multistage process called elastogenesis.
Where are elastic Fibres?
Elastic fibres are found in the articular fibrous tissue of various joints, and in the fibrous perichondria of hyaline and fibrous cartilages. Within bones, elastic fibres are found in the outer fibrous layer of the periosteum, but not in the inner cellular (cambial) layer.
What are elastic fibers made of?
elastin
Elastic fibers are critical connective tissue components providing elasticity and resilience to skin and other tissues. These fibers are composed of elastin and a number of elastin-associated microfibrillar proteins that assemble in a complex fiber network in a multi-step process.
What is the definition elastin?
Elastin is a protein that exists as fibers in the extracellular spaces of many connective tissues. Elastin derives its name from its ability to act as an elastic band, that is, to stretch and recoil with transient force.
How elastic fibers are made?
Elastic fibers are formed via elastogenesis, a highly complex process involving several key proteins including fibulin-4, fibulin-5, latent transforming growth factor β binding protein 4, and microfibril associated protein 4 In this process tropoelastin, the soluble monomeric precursor to elastic fibers is produced by …
What are the main properties of elastic Fibres?
Elastic fibers are the third type of fibers in connective tissue. They are highly refractile, wavy, and thinner than collagens. They are slightly eosinophilic by H&E. Under electron microscopy they consist of two components, the central amorphous constituent (elastin) and the microfibrillar component.
How is elastic fiber made?
What is the function of elastin in the skin?
Elastin is a critical skin protein consisting of crosslinked tropoelastin. Elastin combines with microfibrils to form elastic fibers that provide stretch and recoil to the skin.
What is elastin good for?
Elastic fibers are bundles of elastin found within the dermis (middle layer) of the skin, as well as in blood vessels, the lungs, ligaments, and more. Elastin’s main purpose is to provide flexibility to cells.
What are the main properties of elastic fibres?
What is the function of the elastin?
Elastin’s main function is to allow tissues in your body to stretch out and shrink back. Your arteries are tube-shaped blood vessels that carry blood from your heart through your body. Elastin gives your arteries stretchy characteristics that make it easier for your heart to pump blood.
Where is elastin found?
Elastin is another key structural protein found in the ECMs of connective tissues (e.g., blood vessels, esophagus, skin) that need to stretch and retract following mechanical loading and release [186,187]. It is found predominantly in the walls of arteries, lungs, intestines, and skin, as well as other elastic tissues.
What’s the definition of elastin?
What is the role of elastin?
Elastin is responsible for resiliency in elastic fibers. As a fibrous protein, it is fundamental to the shape and form of tissue and designed to manage stress. Elastic fibers give vertebrate tissues the ability to distend and recoil, an essential quality for normal homeostatic function.
What cell makes elastic fibers?
Elastic fibers is a mainly connective tissue component of extracellular matrix, produced by fibroblast, smooth muscle cells, some chondrocytes, giving their organs, such as skin, lungs, arteries, ligamentum flavum, and auricle cartilage with good flexibility.
What type of protein is elastin?
extracellular matrix (ECM)
Elastin is an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein responsible for the extensibility and elastic recoil of many vertebrate tissues, such as large arteries, heart valves, pulmonary tissues, skin, and certain ligaments and cartilages (Reichheld et al., 2019).
