[Structures and functions of adhesion molecules--involvement of adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis]

Previous studies have revealed that adhesion molecules are involved in immune responses, such as the interaction between T cells and antigen presenting cells. Recent investigations demonstrated that one of these molecules, integrins, which was concerned with cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix proteins, was prominently expressed on lymphocytes and neutrophils in inflammatory diseases. In addition, administration of monoclonal antibodies against integrins in vivo abrogated the inflammatory responses completely in rats. These findings suggest that adhesion molecules are involved in not only immune responses but also in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. As shown here, integrins also play an important role in the metastasis of small cell lung cancers.