INTEGRIN EXPRESSION IN HUMAN DENTAL-PULP CELLS AND THEIR ROLE IN CELLATTACHMENT ON EXTRACELLULAR-MATRIX PROTEINS

Integrins are a family of heterodimeric glycoproteins consisting of al pha and beta subunits that noncovalently interact to form cell surface adhesion receptors, The objective of this study was to identify integ rins in human dental pulp cells and determine their role in human dent al pulp cell attachment to the biological active molecules, laminin an d fibronectin, Integrin expression was studied by immunoblot and immun oprecipitation using monoclonal integrin antibodies. The role of integ rin in human dental pulp cell adhesion on laminin and fibronectin was determined by inhibition of cell adhesion with those antibodies. This study found human dental pulp cells expressed alpha(1), alpha(3), alph a(5), alpha(6), alpha(v), and beta(1) integrin subunits, The adhesion of human dental pulp cells to laminin and fibronectin was not inhibite d by monoclonal antibody to any subunit, except that anti-beta(1) anti body inhibited pulp cells adhesion on laminin, These data provide info rmation for further studying the role of integrins in dental pulp cell biological function.