Fol. Biol. 2004, 50, 143-152
The Biological Functions of β3 Integrins
Integrins comprise a large family of αβ heterodimeric cell-surface receptors that are found in many animal species. They are expressed on a wide variety of cells. There are two members in the β3 integrin family: αIIbβ3 and αvβ3. This class of adhesion receptors mediates cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Dysregulation of the β3 integrins is involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases (including cancer) and in transplant rejection. Integrins also play a key role in many virus infectious cycles. In this paper the biological functions of the β3 family are reviewed, with particular interest in its role in cancer progression and metastasis.
Keywords
β3 integrins, αIIbβ3 integrin, αvβ3 integrin, biological functions.
Funding
This research was supported by KBN (Polish State Committee for Science) Grants No. 3 P05A 092 25, No. PBZ-MIN-007/P04/2003 and No. PBZ-KBN-091/P05/2003.
References
Copyright
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.