Related Experiment Videos
The metastatic odyssey: the integrin connection
A M Mercurio1, R E Bachelder, I Rabinovitz
1Division of Cancer Biology and Angiogenesis, Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. amercuri@caregroup.harvard.edu
Abstract:
This article explores the mechanistic basis of carcinoma progression by focusing on the contribution of integrins. Integrins are essential for progression because of their ability to mediate physical interactions with extracellular matrices and their ability to regulate signaling pathways that control actin dynamics and cell movement, and for growth and survival. This article centers on a6 integrins (a6B1 and a6B4), which are receptors for the laminin family of basement membrane components. Numerous studies have implicated these integrins in cancer progression and have provided a rationale for studying the mechanistic basis of their contribution to aggressive disease.