Keratinocyte Interactions with Fibronectin during Wound Healing

H. Larjava, L. Koivisto and L. Häkkinen

_Reepithelialization of wounds is critical for survival. After injury, fibronectinfibrin clot is formed. Keratinocytes become activated and start migrating into the clot. Migration involves coordinate expression of several new extracellular matrix molecules, f...

Influence of Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interactions on Keratinocyte Behavior During Repair

Brian K. Pilcher, Jonathan C.R. Jones and William C. Parks

The extracellular matrix (ECM), composed of both proteinaceous and nonproteinaceous components, was once thought to merely serve a scaffolding function that provided structural integrity and resiliency to tissues. While this is an important function of the ECM, it is also a key regulator...

The Plasminogen Activation System in Cell Invasion

M. Patrizia Stoppelli

The plasminogen activator/plasmin system is an enzymatic cascade involved in the control of fibrin degradation, matrix turnover and cell invasion.

Extracellular conversion of the ubiquitous inactive plasminogen to the broad spectrum serine protease plasmin results in the recruitment ...

Emmprin (CD147), a Tumor Cell Surface Inducer of Matrix Metalloproteinase

Bryan P. Toole

Emmprin is a member of the Ig superfamily that plays an essential role in several normal tissues but is particularly enriched on the surface of malignant tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Tumor cell emmprin stimulates production of several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by fibroblas...

Common Mechanistic Features in Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interactions Regulating Neurite Outgrowth and Tumor Cell Invasion

Henri J. Huttunen and Heikki Rauvala

Neurite extension in tissues to establish neuronal connections can be envisioned as a form of invasive migration of growth cones, the distal tips of the neurites that interact with the extracellular environment and contain the essential machinery requi...

Cancer Invasion-Related Genes

Anja Bosserhoff and Reinhard Buettner

This review provides a brief overview on gene families involved in invasion. Mechanistically, these molecules are involved in deregulation of adhesive interaction of tumor cells with each other and with extracellular matrices, in synthesis and activation of proteases and other enzymes...

Matrix Metalloproteinases and Cell Migration in the Development of Cardiovascular Disease

Sarah J. George, Andrew C. Newby and Andrew H. Baker

The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of enzymes has the ability to degrade all components of the extracellular matrix. For this fundamental reason, the MMPs have been implicated in the initiation, development and progression of diverse clinical conditions ranging from cancer and art...

Integrins in Cancer Cell Invasion

Pekka Koistinen and Jyrki Heino

Integrins are a family of transmembrane glycoprotein receptors that mediate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions.^1,2 Integrins consist of an a and a b subunit. To date 24 distinct integrin heter...

Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cancer Cell Invasion

Niina Reunanen and VeliMatti Kähäri

Controlled remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for growth, invasion, and metastasis of malignant tumors. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of secreted zincdependent endopeptidases collectively capable of degrading ECM components and there is considerable amo...