Adhesion of blood leukocytes to the endothelium involves multiple steps including initial attachment (tethering), rolling, and firm arrest. Presentation of adhesion molecules on leukocyte microvilli can substantially enhance tethering. Localization of L-selectin to microvilli and of CD44 to the planar cell body have been shown to depend upon their transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. We inves...

Tumor cell membranes have multiple components that participate in the process of metastasis. The present study investigates the physical association of beta1-integrins and Kv1.3 voltage-gated potassium channels in melanoma cell membranes using resonance energy transfer (RET) techniques. RET between donor-labeled anti-beta1-integrin and acceptor-labeled anti-Kv1.3 channels was detected on LOX ce...

Extracellular matrix provides a structural, chemical, and mechanical substrate that is essential in cardiac development, growth, and responses to pathophysiological signals. Transmembrane receptors termed integrins provide a dynamic interaction of environmental cues and intracellular events. Integrins orchestrate multiple functions in the intact organism including organogenesis, regulation of g...

All cellular processes are determined by adhesive interactions between cells and their local microenvironment. Integrins, which constitute one class of cell-adhesion receptor, are multifunctional proteins that link cells to the extracellular matrix and organise integrin adhesion complexes at the cell periphery. Integrin-based adhesions provide anchor points for assembling and organising the cyt...

Integrins are heterodimeric, transmembrane receptors that are expressed in all cells, including those in the heart. They participate in multiple critical cellular processes including adhesion, extracellular matrix organization, signaling, survival, and proliferation. Particularly relevant for a contracting muscle cell, integrins are mechanotransducers, translating mechanical to biochemical info...

The common beta subunit of the PS antigens of Drosophila is homologous with vertebrate integrins and is encoded by the lethal(1)myospheroid gene. We have generated flies mosaic for wild-type and mutant alleles of lethal(1)myospheroid using adult gynandromorphs and radiation-induced somatic crossing over. The defects observed in the gynandromorphs demonstrate widespread requirements for PS integ...

Integrins, a family of heterodimeric membrane proteins, serve in one of their main roles as adhesion receptors for various extracellular matrix components (1, 2). The integrin–matrix interaction is a two-way street. Most extracellular matrix proteins are ligands for integrins, allowing integrins to mediate cell attachment, and the matrix may, at least to a degree, control the expression and act...

of molecules that are capable of modulating such a †Department of Medicine phenomenon are integrins, the major cell surface recepChildren’s Hospital and tors for the ECM that mediate cell–ECM and cell–cell Department of Pediatrics adhesive interactions. Integrins are uniquely suitable for Harvard Medical School this purpose, since (1) different integrin receptors disBoston, Massachusetts 02115 ...

Integrins play a significant role in the acquisition of a neoplastic phenotype through their ability to induce cell proliferation and prevent apoptosis. Complex alterations in the integrin expression profile, including upor downregulation, are associated with tumorigenesis. It is currently generally accepted that the combined participation of integrins and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is es...

The fate of human adipose tissue stem cells (ASCs) is largely determined by biochemical and mechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM), which are sensed and transmitted by integrins. It is well known that specific ECM constituents influence ASC proliferation and differentiation. Nevertheless, knowledge on how individual integrins regulate distinct processes is still limited. We perform...