My article on the architecture of integrin adhesion sites has been published in this week’s issue of Science Signaling. This Focus Issue of Science Signaling highlights processes in cell signalling that enable cells to move efficiently and appropriately.
Integrin-based adhesions are regions of the cell that are important for holding cells together to form tissues and organs. They also allow cells to sense their surroundings so that they can move, grow and function properly. My commentary highlights two recent studies that examined the molecular organisation of adhesion sites using two very different high-resolution approaches. Understanding more about the anatomy of adhesion sites provides insights into their molecular functions. These insights may help us to understand and treat diseases in which cell adhesion goes wrong, such as cancer, atherosclerosis and inflammation.
The paper will be free to access from the Publications section of my website soon.
Funding: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust and a University of Manchester Faculty of Life Sciences Career Development Award.
Citation: A Byron, Analyzing the anatomy of integrin adhesions. Sci. Signal. 4, jc3 (2011). DOI | PubMed
17 May 2011 //
Update: Full text and reprints of the article are now available via my Publications page.
Adam Byron 
[…] extended “active” position. Depending on the shape of the integrins, different proteins attach to them to assist in the signalling process. But which proteins bind to different conformations of […]
[…] the University of Manchester, set out to better understand the molecules that transmit signals at points of cell adhesion. These points of attachment contain hundreds of different proteins – so-called […]