Integrins in invasive growth

Abstract

Interactions between tumor cells and the ECM strongly influence tumor development, affecting cell proliferation and survival, as well as the ability to migrate beyond the original location into other tissues to form metastases. Many of these interactions are mediated by integrins, a ubiquitously expressed family of adhesion receptors. Integrins are essential for cell attachment and control cell migration, cell cycle progression, and programmed cell death, responses that they regulate in synergy with other signal transduction pathways.