title: Hemidesmosomes: roles in adhesion, signaling and human diseases.
abstract: Our understanding of the role of hemidesmosomes in cell-substratum adhesion has greatly improved both as a result of targeted gene mutation experiments and by means of observations of several blistering disorders of the skin in which the absence or defects of hemidesmosomal proteins have been demonstrated. Functionally important domains within the proteins that constitute hemidesmosomes have recently been identified by transfection and mutagenesis studies. These multiprotein complexes appear not only to mediate cell adhesion, but also to transduce signals from the extracellular matrix to the cell interior that may profoundly modulate cell behavior.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, NL-1066 CX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. asonn@nki.nl
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borradori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonnenberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000276:immunology; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000276:immunology; D004194:Disease; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000276:immunology; D018390:Gene Targeting; D006801:Humans; D039161:Integrin alpha6beta4; D016023:Integrins / Q000276:immunology; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000276:immunology; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000276:immunology; D011506:Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001324:Autoantigens; D039161:Integrin alpha6beta4; D016023:Integrins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D011506:Proteins; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII