{
  "id": 3506055,
  "title": "Composition-controlled artificial collagen shows opposing roles of collagen-binding integrins and discoidin domain receptors in neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/composition-controlled-artificial-collagen-shows-opposing-roles-of",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.25.746976v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial collagen matrices have been engineered to control the roles of collagen-binding integrins and discoidin domain receptors (DDRs) in neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. These receptors interact with specific amino acid motifs within the collagen triple-helical structure, influencing cell adhesion, differentiation, and angiogenesis. By tuning the mixing ratios of peptides with distinct receptor-binding sequences before crosslinking, scientists have created matrices with varying compositions of these receptor-binding motifs. The study demonstrates that matrices with only integrin-binding sequences promote neuronal differentiation, while the addition of HSPG-binding sequences has minimal impact. However, the introduction of a DDR-binding sequence suppresses integrin-mediated differentiation and is associated with DDR phosphorylation. This research highlights the opposing roles of collagen-binding integrins and DDRs in regulating PC12 cell differentiation, and the composition-controlled artificial collagen matrix offers a valuable tool for dissecting functional crosstalk among collagen receptors.",
  "summary": "Collagen, a major component of the extracellular matrix, regulates cellular behaviors, such as adhesion, differentiation, and angiogenesis. These functions are mediated by interactions between specific amino acid motifs within the collagen triple-helical structure and collagen-binding biomolecules. These include cell-surface receptors, such as integrins, discoidin domain receptors (DDRs), and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}