… Franzke … This work was supported by grants from the German research foundation
DFG to CW. Franzke (SFB 850-TB6) and to O. Schilling (SCHI 871/2-1). …

Is collagen just the workhorse of the extracellular matrix with few roles other than merely giving
the body structural platforms? Hardly so. The collagen family has now swelled to at least …

Collagenous transmembrane proteins are an emerging group of biologically versatile
molecules which function as both cell surface receptors and matrix molecules. The seven group …

Collagen XVII, a type II transmembrane protein and epithelial adhesion molecule, can be
proteolytically shed from the cell surface to generate a soluble collagen. Here we investigated …

Women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), a condition characterized by the presence of
antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), often suffer pregnancy-related complications, including …

Inflammation is frequently linked to preterm delivery (PTD). Here, we tested the hypothesis
that complement activation plays a role in cervical remodeling and PTD. We studied two …

ADAM17 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17) is ubiquitously expressed and cleaves
membrane proteins, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands, l-selectin, and …

The skin comprises tissue macrophages as the most abundant resident immune cell type.
Their diverse tasks including resistance against invading pathogens, attraction of bypassing …

Glomerulonephritis is a major cause of morbidity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Although substantial progress has been made in the identification of pathogenic triggers …

The German National Cohort (NAKO) is a multidisciplinary, population-based prospective
cohort study that aims to investigate the causes of widespread diseases, identify risk factors …