Edited by: Ricki Lewis
S. Miyamoto, H. Teramoto, O.A. Coso, J.S. Gutkind, P.D. Burbelo, S.K. Akiyama, K.M. Yamada, "Integrin function: Molecular hierarchies of cytoskeletal and signaling molecules," Journal of Cell Biology, 131:791-805, 1995. (Cited in more than 123 publications through August 1997)
Comments by Kenneth M. Yamada, Craniofacial Developmental Biology and Regeneration Branch, and J. Silvio Gutkind, Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental Research
'A NEW APPROACH': Kenneth Yamada notes that the organization and function of adhesion and signaling complexes can be divided into specific steps. The ways in which cells detect and respond to environmental signals are complex and diverse. Typically, proteins called integrins span cell membranes and serve as receptors for specific molecules that are part of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Stimulated integrins then set off cascades of enzymatic activity that carry out signal transduction, which ultimately alters gene expression. The ends of integrins that ...
