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The extracellular matrix (ECM) is indispensable for the development of multicellular organisms. As a product of the cells attached to it, the ECM provides cohesiveness within tissue compartments, induces polarization of cells, and, more important, acts as a major determinant of gene expression and differentiati~ n.~,~ This specialized tissue component can be subdivided into the pericellular matrix interacting with integral cell membrane components, the classic interstitial matrix structuring the intercellular spaces, and basement membranes (BMs) supporting epithelial, endothelial, and certain mesenchyma1 cells.

Since liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are among the leading causes of death in the Western hemisphere and in developing countries, information about the structural components of the hepatic ECM and their qualitative as well as quantitative derangements, which finally lead to cirrhosis, is warranted. Such …