Epithelial cells polarize in response to contacts with the extracellular matrix and with neighboring cells. Interactions of cells with the extracellular matrix are mediated mainly by the integrin family of receptors. To begin to understand the role of integrins in polarization, we have investigated the expression and localization of three integrin families in the polarized Madin-Darby canine ki...

The tetraspanin CD151 molecule associates specifically with laminin-binding integrins, including 6 1. To probe strength of 6 1-dependent adhesion to laminin-1, defined forces (0–1.5 nN) were applied to magnetic laminin-coated microbeads bound to NIH 3T3 cells. For NIH 3T3 cells bearing wild-type CD151, adhesion strengthening was observed, as bead detachment became more difficult over time. In c...

Homing of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells to the liver is a non-random process driven by a crosstalk between tumour cells and components of the host tissue. Here we report the isolation of a liver metastasis-specific peptide ligand (CGIYRLRSC) that binds a complex of E-cadherin and α(6) integrin on the surface of CRC cells. We identify angiopoietin-like 6 protein as a peptide-mimicked natural lig...

Platelet adhesion and activation are mediated by integrin αIIbβ3 clustering, which is crucial for the hemostatic function of platelets. In an activated state, integrins provide connection between extracellular matrix actin cytoskeleton through a variety cytoplasmic proteins, such as talin. Here, droplet-based microfluidics applied to generate cell-sized giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) with de...

Lymphocytes use integrin-based platforms to move and adhere firmly to the surface of other cells. The molecular mechanisms governing lymphocyte adhesion dynamics are however poorly understood. In this study, we show that in mouse B lymphocytes, the actin binding protein vinculin localizes to the ring-shaped integrin-rich domain of the immune synapse (IS); the assembly of this platform, triggere...

PURPOSE To evaluate the expression level of integrin αvβ3 on activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) at different stages of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rat model and the feasibility to stage liver fibrosis by using molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide modified ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticl...

We present here a novel form of dynamic adhesion in which both the integrin receptor and the ligand supporting dynamic adhesion have been identified. Laminar flow assays showed that laminin supported attachment of alpha 6 beta 4-positive cells in the presence of fluid shear stress (tau < or = 2 dyn/cm2), indicating that these cells adhered to laminin within a fraction of a second. Further incre...

Recent studies with patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with muscular dystrophy and the targeted gene disruption in mice suggested that plectin, a versatile cytoskeletal linker and intermediate filament-binding protein, may play an essential role in hemidesmosome integrity and stabilization. To define plectin’s interactions with hemidesmosomal proteins on the molecu...

The hallmarks of leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) are defects in the leukocyte adhesion process, marked leukocytosis and recurrent infections. These molecular and clinical manifestations result from an impaired step in the inflammatory process, namely, the emigration of leukocytes from the blood vessels to sites of infection, which requires adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium. Over las...

It is well known that Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid (RGD) and Asparagine-Glycine-Arginine (NGR) peptides preferentially bind to integrin receptors and aminopeptidase Nrespectively and these two receptors play important roles in angiogenesis. Therefore ketoprofenas a non-selective cox Inhibitor was conjugated with linear RGD and NGR to take advantageof targeting capability of these two motifs a...