Cell adhesion mechanisms and their potential impact on wound healing and tumor control

Cells attach to surrounding extracellular protein matrix via structural receptors called integrins. Many of the integrins attach to a specific amino acid sequence in structural proteins, that of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD). These structural receptors are composed of alpha and beta subunits, which vary depending on which cells are involved and on which specific protein is to be bound. The integrin-matrix bond can be inhibited by monoclonal antibodies directed against receptor subunits, or by synthetic proteins (peptides) that contain the RGD sequence. This inhibition of cell adhesion has important potential for cellular control of all phases of wound healing, as well as of malignant cell growth and metastasis.