In the 1980s, while working as a postdoctoral fellow with Erkki Ruoslahti in La Jolla, California, I discovered a protein that I later named fibulin from the Latin fibula for clasp. This year marked the twentieth year since my first publication on fibulin (which I pronounce FY-beau-lin). Over these two decades, many other investigators and I have built on the initial discovery. As a result, findings reported in nearly 400 manuscripts have revealed that fibulin (now called fibulin-1) is a member of family of eight extracellular matrix proteins having a variety of critical functions. One of the most significant roles to emerge for members of the fibulin family as a group is their ability to coordinate the assembly of elastic extracellular matrix fibers such as those that provide elasticity to blood vessels, lungs and skin.
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