Basement membranes are highly specialised extracellular matrix structures that within the heart underlie endothelial cells and surround cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells. They generate a dynamic and structurally supportive environment throughout cardiac development and maturation by providing physical anchorage to the underlying interstitium, structural support to the tissue, and by influencing cell behaviour and signalling. While this provides a strong link between basement membrane dysfunction and cardiac disease, the role of the basement membrane in cardiac biology remains under-researched and our understanding regarding the mechanistic interplay between basement membrane defects and their morphological and functional consequences remain important knowledge-gaps. In this review we bring together emerging understanding of basement membrane defects within the heart including in common cardiovascular pathologies such as contractile dysfunction and highlight some key questions that are now ready to be addressed.

中文翻译：

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基底膜在心脏生物学和疾病中的作用。

基底膜是高度特化的细胞外基质结构，在心脏内位于内皮细胞下方并围绕心肌细胞和血管平滑肌细胞。它们通过为基础间质提供物理锚固、对组织的结构支持以及影响细胞行为和信号传导，在整个心脏发育和成熟过程中产生动态和结构支持的环境。虽然这提供了基底膜功能障碍和心脏病之间的密切联系，但基底膜在心脏生物学中的作用仍未得到充分研究，我们对基底膜缺陷及其形态和功能后果之间的机制相互作用的理解仍然是重要的知识空白。