title: Adhesion protein networks reveal functions proximal and distal to cell-matrix contacts.
abstract: Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix is generally mediated by integrin receptors, which bind to intracellular adhesion proteins that form multi-molecular scaffolding and signalling complexes. The networks of proteins, and their interactions, are dynamic, mechanosensitive and extremely complex. Recent efforts to characterise adhesions using a variety of technologies, including imaging, proteomics and bioinformatics, have provided new insights into their composition, organisation and how they are regulated, and have also begun to reveal unexpected roles for so-called adhesion proteins in other cellular compartments (for example, the nucleus or centrosomes) in diseases such as cancer. We believe this is opening a new chapter on understanding the wider functions of adhesion proteins, both proximal and distal to cell-matrix contacts.
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Electronic address: adam.byron@igmm.ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Byron
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Margaret C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Frame
mesh_terms: D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016023:Integrins