Integrins Mediate Cell-Matrix Adhesion

Dear Colleagues,

Integrins are the heterodimeric transmembrane adhesion receptors and act as the “fasteners”, connecting the cells with the extracellular matrix (ECM), or matrix in short. This integrin-mediated interaction of the cells with the matrix is essential for multicellular organisms, contributing from embryogenesis to the higher-level complex body functions and homeostasis. Integrins govern the expression, assembly, and turnover of the different components of the matrix and play a vital role in cell migration, proliferation, invasion, polarity, and mechanotransduction.

Unlike other membrane receptors, which can signal only from outside to in, integrins have the extraordinary potential to function as the bidirectional signaling receptors facilitating inside–out signaling (mediated by intracellular signals) and outside–in signaling (mediated by the ligands in the matrix). Humans have 18 alpha and 8 beta integrin subunits, which constitute 24 distinct integrin heterodimers. Likewise, many different ligands in the matrix can interact with integrins differentially to produce regulated and synchronized activation and inactivation of the integrins, linked with varied cellular responses. Any deregulation in the integrin-mediated cell–matrix interactions and integrin activation/deactivation results in pathological conditions, namely cancer, inflammation, metabolic diseases, bleeding disorders, immune disorders, and neurological disorders, to name a few.

In this Special Issue, we want to pay attention to the complex biology of integrin-mediated cell–matrix interactions and explore the previously unknown phenomenon of this essential regulation directly linked with many diseases. This Special Issue will include contributions on (though not restricted to): ECM (extracellular matrix); ligand binding (e.g., with collagen, fibronectin); cell-matrix interaction; integrin-mediated signal transduction (e.g., AKT, ERK, FAK signaling); integrin crosstalk (e.g., with EGFR, c-MET); cell adhesion; cell migration; matrix remodeling; focal adhesion; focal adhesion turnover; integrin-linked diseases like cancer; targeting integrins, integrin-mediated adhesion; or integrin-mediated signaling (e.g., with small molecule inhibitors or function-blocking antibodies).

Dr. Pranshu Sahgal
Guest Editor

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• integrins
• ECM (extracellular matrix)
• cell adhesion
• fibronectin
• laminin
• collagen
• matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
• cell migration
• cell proliferation
• integrin signaling
• focal adhesion
• focal dynamics
• integrin crosstalk
• integrin trafficking
• mechanosensing