title: RGD-Dependent Epithelial Cell-Matrix Interactions in the Human Intestinal Crypt.
abstract: Interactions between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and integrin receptors trigger structural and functional bonds between the cell microenvironment and the cytoskeleton. Such connections are essential for adhesion structure integrity and are key players in regulating transduction of specific intracellular signals, which in turn regulate the organization of the cell microenvironment and, consequently, cell function. The RGD peptide-dependent integrins represent a key subgroup of ECM receptors involved in the maintenance of epithelial homeostasis. Here we review recent findings on RGD-dependent ECM-integrin interactions and their roles in human intestinal epithelial crypt cells.
authors.affiliation: Département d'Anatomie et Biologie Cellulaire, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada J1H 5N4 ; Pharmacology Department, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Yannick D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Benoit
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Groulx
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gagné
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Beaulieu