Courtesy of Rick Horwitz Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Cell Biology |
Editor's note: A group of scientists led by M. Amin Arnaout at Massachusetts General Hospital published the first crystal structure of the human integrin aVb3 extracellular domain, on September 9, 2001.(www.scienceexpress.org: 10.1126/science.1064535)
Adherent cells secrete, mold, reside in, and interact with a dynamic, proteinaceous milieu known as the extracellular matrix. Although it occupies the intercellular space and binds cells and tissues together when appropriate, this matrix is much more than just a sticky goo. Rather, it is an information-rich medium that is involved in a number of critical biological processes, such as morphogenesis and differentiation. Cells interact with the extracellular...
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