Cell adhesion molecules: an overview

Considerable basic research, mostly in the past 20 years, has elicited greatly increased knowledge concerning the structure and function of cell adhesion molecules. Scores of individual adhesion molecules have been identified and categorized as to major structural features, ligands recognized, and pattern of expression. Recent attention has been focused on the interaction of cell adhesion molecules with intracellular components, and the role of cell adhesion molecules in mediating cell signal transduction. Ongoing efforts to develop specific pharmacological agonists and antagonists for adhesion molecules holds great promise in clinical medicine. Abciximab (Reopro), a monoclonal antibody inhibitor of the platelet integrin alpha IIb beta 3, is currently approved and available to improve vessel patency in patients undergoing angioplasty. Similar approaches to develop adhesion-based therapies to block angiogenesis, tumor progression, and/or metastasis are under development and hold promise for patients with cancer.