title: Brain meets pancreas: netrin, an axon guidance molecule, controls epithelial cell migration.
abstract: A recent publication shows that two integrins, alpha6beta4 and alpha3beta1, interact with netrin-1, a protein best known for its role in axon guidance. Consistent with a role in pancreatic development in vivo, netrin is expressed together with these integrins in fetal pancreatic epithelium. The paper presents strong evidence that pancreatic epithelial cells adhere, spread and migrate on netrin-coated substrata through alpha6beta4. Data also indicate that alpha3beta1 mediates HGF-stimulated cell migration on netrin-coated substrata. These results indicate that netrins might have much broader functions than previously suspected.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA. mhebrok@diabetes.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hebrok
authors.forename: Louis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Reichardt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000075388:Netrin-1; D010179:Pancreas / Q000502:physiology; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D016023:Integrins; C000617351:NTN1 protein, human; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D000075388:Netrin-1