Fatal attraction: adhesion molecules and disease.
Knowledge of molecular mechanisms in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion has increased rapidly in the past decade. Adhesion mechanisms are of prime importance in both physiology and pathology. With respect to the kidney, expression of adhesion molecules has been studied in a variety of diseases, including various forms of glomerulonephritis. Hitherto, these descriptive studies have merely launched extensive speculation regarding the role of adhesion mechanisms in renal pathology. A logical next step is to correlate adhesion molecule expression to alterations in structures which may possibly be affected by altered adhesion, for example gap junctions. Current studies linking structural to functional adhesion expand our understanding of cell biology in health and disease.
Bruijn
J A
JA
Bergijk
E C
EC
Kootstra
C J
CJ
de Heer
E
E
D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules