EMERGING PARADIGMS OF INTEGRIN LIGAND-BINDING AND ACTIVATION

Adhesion of cells to each other or to the extracellular matrix provide s essential signals that regulate many cellular functions including ce ll migration, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The integr in superfamily orchestrates many of these complex adhesive events thro ugh regulated interactions with a large variety of ligands. Crystalliz ation of some ligands and of a ligand binding integrin domain, reviewe d here, together with extensive mutagenesis studies are beginning to s hed light on the inner workings of these receptors.