title: Integrins in the normal and healing corneal epithelium.
abstract: Integrins are heterodimeric plasma membrane glycoproteins involved in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. The present communication reviews the distribution of several of the currently known integrin subunits in the corneal epithelium. The corneal epithelium contains the following integrin heterodimers: alpha 2 beta 1, alpha 3 beta 1, and alpha 6 beta 4. The expression of alpha v with an unknown beta subunit is also recognized, whereas the expression of alpha 4 and alpha 5 subunits remains controversial. Some of the changes occurring in the distribution of integrins in response to wounding will also be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Päällysaho
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tervo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Virtanen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tervo
mesh_terms: D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D016023:Integrins