The extracellular basement membrane plays a crucial role in angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. The “Matrigel System” from BD Biosciences is one of the most widely used
in vitro assays for such studies. Matrigel is a solubilized basement membrane preparation extracted from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) sarcoma, which gels at room temperature to form a genuine reconstituted basement membrane. However, the composition of Matrigel remains poorly characterized. It contains extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors, collagenases and many undefined components. The heterogeneity of Matrigel and its uncharacterized components can sometimes produce variability and background in experiments making critical interpretation of data difficult.
The Growth Factor-Reduced (GFR) Matrigel is well-suited for studies which require a more defined and characterized reconstituted basement membrane than Matrigel. GFR Matrigel is not meant to replace the original Matrigel, it is just a useful alternative for certain types of studies. In our laboratory we use both types of Matrigel depending on the nature of the experiment. For example if we wish to study the effect of novel growth factors on angiogenesis, Matrigel Matrix may not be the best choice because it has endogenous growth factors which may produce variability in experiments. For these studies the GFR Matrigel provides a more sensitive readout. In our laboratory, GFR Matrigel has also been found to be very useful for studies involving signaling pathways, gene expression and regulation patterns in endothelial cells. The experimental procedures are identical for both types of Matrigel, so there is no difficulty to switch over to GFR Matrigel. The information sheet lists the comparative analysis of the level of growth factors in Matrigel versus the GFR Matrigel. It also contains detailed characterization data, protocols and a list of references, which are a huge asset for planning experiments. The quality control of the product is excellent and BD provides extremely useful technical support for any questions or difficulties encountered.
There are a few disadvantages for using the GFR Matrigel. First, as usual, is the price - it is more expensive than the original Matrigel matrix. Second, BD is the only supplier of Matrigel, if the product is back-ordered, there is no alternate source for it and you have to just wait. However, despite these limitations, it is an indispensable reagent for studying biochemical pathways in angiogenesis and metastasis.
Piyali Dasgupta, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Moffit Research Center