Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs): more molecules with dual functions?

Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs): more molecules with dual functions?

Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) are members of an immunoglobulin subfamily expressed by leukocytes and platelets as well as by epithelial and endothelial cells, in which they localize to cell-cell contacts and are specifically enriched at tight junctions. The recent identification of extracellular ligands and intracellular binding proteins for JAMs suggests two functions for JAMs. JAMs ass...

Junctional Adhesion Molecules (JAMs) - New Players in Breast Cancer?

Junctional adhesion molecules in angiogenesis.

The process of new blood vessel formation from pre-existing vessels is known as angiogenesis. This process is important, both during physiological processes such as development and during wound healing, as well as during pathological processes, such as cancer and arthritis. Understanding the molecular mechanism of the regulation of angiogenesis and the identification of the key players involved...

Parasite Lectins: More than Adhesion Molecules?

Several studies demonstrate the involvement of lectins in the recognition of carbohydrates present on the surface of different kinds of pathogens [1-3], including parasites of the genus Leishmania [4,5]. The recognition often involves the modulation of the host immune response due to the activation of signaling pathways initiated by the stimulation of lectins present on the surface of cells fro...

The role of junctional adhesion molecules in cell-cell interactions.

Cell-cell-interactions are important for the regulation of tissue integrity, the generation of barriers between different tissues and body compartments thereby providing an effective defence against toxic or pathogenic agents, as well as for the regulation of inflammatory cell recruitment. Intercellular interactions are regulated by adhesion receptors on adjacent cells which upon extracellular ...