[Occurrence and significance of different adhesion molecules--review]

The adhesion of leucocytes to endothelial cells is an important step in the migration of these cells into lymphatic tissue and to places of acute inflammation. These leucocytes do not only stick to altered endothelial cells during acute inflammation as part of the immun response. They also interact with normal endothelial cells in order to immigrate in lymphatic and extralymphatic tissue. Three cell surface molecule families regulate the tissue specific migration of leucocytes on the molecular level: integrin family, selectin family and the immunglobulin supergen family. This review reports the present state of research. It has to be taken in consideration, that almost every day new results will be found.