Transient intercellular adhesion: the importance of weak protein-protein interactions.
Intercellular adhesion is a complex phenomenon central to the development, structure and functioning of all multicellular organisms. Adhesion is mediated by distinct families of cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs), and recent studies have identified key characteristics of CAMs that influence their function. Affinity and kinetic analyses using a novel technique based on surface plasmon resonance have shown that CAM interactions that mediate transient cell adhesion may have surprisingly low affinities and extremely fast dissociation rate constants.
van der Merwe
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MRC Cellular Immunology Unit, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, UK.
Barclay
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D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology*
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules