Gene expression studies of pregastrulation development: the basement membrane is essential for cell differentiation
Basement membranes (BMs) are sheet-like structures of extracellular matrix. They act as a supporting structure but can also significantly influence cellular behavior in development, tissue homeostasis and disease. Laminins, a major BM component, are multidomain proteins, consisting of three polypeptide chains (α, β and γ). During pregastrulation development, stem cells convert and epithelial tissu