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Published on: April 17, 2014
The role of integrin binding sites in fibronectin matrix assembly in vivo
Michael Leiss1, Karsten Beckmann, Amparo Girós
1Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Medicine, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Abstract:
The extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein fibronectin (FN) requires the help of cells to assemble into a functional fibrillar matrix, which then orchestrates the assembly of other ECM proteins and promotes cell adhesion, migration and signalling. Fibrillogenesis is initiated and governed by cell surface integrins that bind to specific sites in the FN molecule. Recent studies identified novel integrin binding sites in FN that can also participate in FN fibril formation and in morphogenetic events during development.
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