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Updated: Nov 7, 2025

Static Adhesion Assay for the Study of Integrin Activation in T Lymphocytes
Published on: June 13, 2014
Liver cell hydration and integrin signaling
Michele Bonus1, Dieter Häussinger2, Holger Gohlke1,3,4
1Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Abstract:
Liver cell hydration (cell volume) is dynamic and can change within minutes under the influence of hormones, nutrients, and oxidative stress. Such volume changes were identified as a novel and important modulator of cell function. It provides an early example for the interaction between a physical parameter (cell volume) on the one hand and metabolism, transport, and gene expression on the other. Such events involve mechanotransduction (osmosensing) which triggers signaling cascades towards liver function (osmosignaling). This article reviews our own work on this topic with emphasis on the role of β1 integrins as (osmo-)mechanosensors in the liver, but also on their role in bile acid signaling.
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