Adhesions and fibrosis.

Mechanotransduction and focal adhesions.

Cellular FAs (focal adhesions) respond to internal and external mechanical stresses which make them prime candidates for mechanotransduction. Recent observations showed that the FA proteins including vinculin, FAK (FA kinase) and p130Cas are crucial for the ability of cells to transmit forces and to generate cytoskeletal tension. When mechanically stimulated, cells respond by modulating the spr...

Peritoneal closure and adhesions.

We have read the debate on peritoneal closure by Cheong et al. with interest (Cheong et al., 2001). The authors state that the long term benefits and hazards of non-closure of the peritoneum are unknown, and expect adhesion related problems. Among the various outcome measures concerning long-term morbidity, adhesion formation/reformation is probably one of the most important ones. The presence ...

Focal adhesions

What are they? Focal adhesions are the anchor points of the cell. These dynamic cytoskeletal structures are regions where the cell membrane firmly attaches to the extracellular matrix or the substratum. At the same time, focal adhesions provide scaffolding; they associate with an elaborate actin network inside the cell. Importantly, it’s now known that focal adhesions also act as communication ...

Pelvic adhesions

Integrin adhesions

Cell migration requires the coordination of adhesion site assembly and turnover. Canonical models for nascent adhesion formation postulate that integrin binding to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins results in the rapid recruitment of cytoskeletal proteins such as talin and paxillin to integrin cytoplasmic domains. It is thought that integrin-talin clusters recruit and activate tyrosine kinase...