Mammalian hemicentin 1 is assembled into tracks in the extracellular matrix of multiple tissues

Background Hemicentins (HMCNs) are a family of extracellular matrix proteins first identified in Caenorhabditis elegans , with two orthologs (HMCN1 and 2) in vertebrates. In worms, HMCN is deposited at specific sites where it forms long, fine tracks that link two tissues by connecting adjacent basement membranes (BMs). By generating CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated Hmcn1 and Hmcn2 knockout mice, we tested the hypothesis that HMCNs perform similar functions...