Integrins

Integrins--receptor proteins that reside in the outer membrane of a cell and through which signals from the ECM are transmitted inside--are of crucial importance. They are the main way that cells both bind to and respond to the extracellular matrix (ECM) -- a network of fibrous and globular proteins that serves as support ‘scaffolding’ for breast cells. They are part of a large family of cell adhesion receptors, which are involved in cell to ECM …showed first 75 words of 1261 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1261 total…through mechanisms not yet identified, the ECM is altered. This, in turn, alters the signals sent from the ECM into the cell's nucleus, triggering the onset of malignancy. Scientists are in the process of studying a line of pre-malignant cells to determine whether or not there are integrin alterations (such as changes in the ratios of one or more forms of integrins to the others) that might foreshadow the structural changes that lead to cancer.