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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
09:14
Static Adhesion Assay for the Study of Integrin Activation in T Lymphocytes
Published on: June 13, 2014
Genetic analyses of integrin signaling
Sara A Wickström1, Korana Radovanac, Reinhard Fässler
1Paul Gerson Una Group, Skin Homeostasis and Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50937 Cologne, Germany. wickstroem@age.mpg.de
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
|March 23, 2011
Summary
Cellular signaling pathways regulate organism development and organ function. Genetic studies reveal cell-extracellular matrix interactions are crucial for development and disease.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Signaling
- Extracellular Matrix Biology
Background:
- Multicellular organism development and organ function rely on precise regulation of cell fates.
- Conserved signaling pathways enable cells to interpret extracellular cues, influencing proliferation, differentiation, migration, and cell shape.
- Cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions are integral to numerous developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review genetic analyses in model organisms.
- To elucidate the roles of adhesion signaling in development and disease.
Main Methods:
- Genetic deletion studies in higher eukaryotes.
- Analysis of conserved signaling pathways.
- Review of genetic alterations in cell-ECM signaling axis components.
Main Results:
- Gene deletion studies highlight critical roles for ECM components and their receptors in development.
- A significant portion of cell signaling is modulated by cell-ECM interactions.
- Genetic alterations in this signaling axis are implicated in human diseases.
Conclusions:
- Genetic analyses provide fundamental insights into adhesion signaling.
- Understanding cell-ECM interactions is vital for both developmental biology and human disease research.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Some...
01:15Activation of Integrins
Integrins bind ligands and transmit information from outside the cell to inside or vice-versa through an "outside-in signaling" or "inside-out signaling."
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding events provide an effective stimulus.
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding events provide an effective stimulus.
01:10Integrins
Animal and protozoan cells do not have cell walls to help maintain shape and provide structural stability. Instead, these eukaryotic cells secrete a sticky mass of carbohydrates and proteins into the spaces between adjacent cells. This network of proteins and molecules is called an extracellular matrix or ECM.
Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...
Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...
01:31Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules
Immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules or Ig-CAMs are a versatile group of cell surface glycoproteins belonging to the immunoglobulin protein superfamily. Ig-CAMs possess the characteristic immunoglobulin protein domains and other domains such as the fibronectin type III domain. The Ig domains are glycosylated to varying degrees in different Ig-CAMs.
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
01:25Selectins
Cell adhesion is an essential aspect of multicellularity. While stable cell interactions usually occur between cells of the same type, transient cell interactions occur between cells of different tissue types, such as between neutrophils and endothelial cells. Selectins are one class of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that bind carbohydrate ligands to form transient cell adhesion. They are rod-like proteins with a long extracellular part of variable length ending with the lectin domain, which...
01:24Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions
The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...