Background Extracellular matrix (ECM) orchestrates cell behaviour including growth, death, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, and invasion by activating several signalling pathways Certain components of ECM, such as integrins, may act as receptors or co-receptors of enterovirus ECM-activated gene expressions in myocardium of viral heart disease including myocarditis and partial cardiomyopathy remain elusive This study was to investigate the expression of ECM-activated genes in myocardium of mouse with viral myocarditis Methods BALB/c mice were infected with Coxsackie virus B 3 (CVB 3) to establish an animal model of myocarditis Uninfected mice were also prepared and served as controls Specific mRNA expression pattern in myocarditic mouse heart was analysed by an in-house cDNA microarray containing 8192 genes Overexpressed ECM genes were selected and subsequently confirmed by Northern blot analysis Results Nine ECM genes were isolated, from the array of 8192 genes, as overexpressed genes in hearts of myocarditic mice in comparison with controls Subsequent Northern blot analysis confirmed that four of the nine genes were highly expressed Expression of these four genes, Fin15, ILk, Lamr1 and ADAMTS-1, has not been reported previously to be induced by Coxsackie virus Conclusion CVB 3-induced myocarditis is associated with gene expression profiles of certain ECM components Background Extracellular matrix (ECM) orchestrates cell behavior including growth, death, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, and invasion by activating several signaling pathways Certain components of ECM, such as integrins, may act as receptors or co-receptors of enterovirus ECM-activated gene expressions in myocardium of viral heart disease including myocarditis and partial cardiomyopathy remain elusive This study was to investigate the expression of ECM-activated genes in myocardium of mouse with viral myocarditis Methods BALB / c mice were infected with Coxackie virus B3 (CVB 3) to establish an animal model of myocarditis Uninfected mice were also prepared and served as controls Specific mRNA expression pattern in myocarditic mouse heart was analyzed by an in-house cDNA microarray containing 8192 genes Overexpressed ECM genes were selected and subsequently confirmed by Northern blot analysis Results Nine ECM genes were isolated, from the array of 8192 genes , as overexpressed genes in hearts of myocarditic mice in comparison with controls Subsequent Northern blot analysis confirmed that the four of the nine genes were highly expressed Expression of these four genes, Fin15, ILk, Lamr1 and ADAMTS-1, has not been reported previously to be induced by Coxsackie virus Conclusion CVB 3-induced myocarditis is associated with gene expression profiles of certain ECM components