Cell-extracellular matrix interaction

The fibrinogen receptor represents the best characterised member of the in-tegrin family of cell adhesion receptors, which are involved in a wide variety of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions (reviewed in detail elsewhere) [14,26-29], The integrins consist of non-covalently associated transmembrane a and [i subunits [27], and are commonly grouped into classes defined by shared fi subunits over twenty receptors in eight classes are now known [26], Using the at fi nomenclature, the fibrinogen receptor is now... 

Integrins themselves are found on nearly all cells and mediate several physiological responses, such as cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Three families of integrins, each family with a common beta subunit in combination with distinct alpha subunits, have been recognized. The beta 1 family, also called very late lymphocyte-activation antigen or VLA, has receptors mediating extracellular matrix interactions with molecules such as collagen, laminin, and fibronectin. Naturally, platelets contain many of the receptors of the beta 1 family. 

The integrins comprise a family of cell-surface proteins that are involved in adhesion, a process vital for many processes, such as anchorage, migration, growth and differentiation. Cells may adhere to other cells (cell-cell adhesion) or may interact with soluble molecules that constitute the extracellular matrix (cell-extracellular matrix). The integrins are linked to elements of the cytoskeleton, and so they provide a bridge between the external cellular environment and intracellular activation processes. 

R7. Ruoslahti, E., Control of cell motility and tumour invasion by extracellular matrix interactions. Br. J. Cancer 66, 239-242 (1990). 

Ma, W, Tavakoli, T., Derby, E., Serebryakova, Y., Rao, M. S., and Mattson, M. P. 2008. CeU-extracellular matrix interactions regulate neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. BMC Dev Biol, 8,90. 

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