This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of current understanding of periostin and its importance for human health and disease. Periostin is a secretory matricellular protein that has been revealed to play key roles in fibrillogenesis and cell migration, including metastasis of cancer cells. The production of periostin is upregulated during fibrotic responses and the mechanisms by which it promotes fibrosis have become a focus of interest owing to the potential clinical benefit to be derived from periostin blockade. In this book, readers will find coverage of all aspects, from the basic properties of periostin and its function as a scaffold for assembly of extracellular proteins through to its roles in bone and tissue regeneration, tumorigenesis, myocardial infarction, inflammatory and immune system disorders, and other diseases. Readers will also find the latest information on functions of periostin related to stemness and the application of periostin as abiomarker. It is hoped that the detailed knowledge of periostin and its pathobiological significance provided in this book will aid in the search for effective treatments for currently incurable diseases.

Autorentext
Dr. Akira Kudo, Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Inhalt
Part 1: Overview of Periostin.- Chapter 1: Naming, History, Future.- Part 2: Basic properties of Periostin.- Chapter 2: The structure of the periostin gene, its transcriptional control and alternative splicing, and protein expression.- Part 3: Function as the scaffold.- Chapter 3: Periostin functions as a scaffold for assembly of extracellular proteins.- Part 4: Health and Disease in Organs.- Chapter 4: Periostin reexpression in heart disease contributes to cardiac interstitial remodeling by supporting the cardiac myofibroblast phenotype.- Chapter 5: Periostin in bone biology.- Chapter 6: Periostin in bone regeneration.- Chapter 7: Functions of periostin in dental tissues and its role in periodontal tissue regeneration.- Chapter 8: Periostin and human teeth.- Chapter 9: Ability of periostin as a new biomarker of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.- Chapter 10: Involvement of periostin in skin function and the pathogenesis of skin diseases.- Chapter 11: Periostin in the kidney.- Chapter 12: Periostin in eye diseases.- Chapter 13: The maltiaspect functions of periostin in tumor progression.- Part 5: Other types of fibrosis and tissue repair.- Chapter 14: Liver, Stroke,  Rhinosinusitis.- Part 6: Inflammation.- Chapter 15: Roles of periostin in asthma.- Part 7: Periostin in Development.- Chapter 16: Periostin and integrin signaling in stem cell regulation.- Chapter 17: Role of periostin in cardiac valve development.- Part 8: Biomarker.- Chapter 18: Practical application of periostin as a biomarker for pathological conditions.- Part 9: Clinical applications.- Chapter 19: Clinical trials and new applications.