Cell Adhesion / Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology Bd.165 (PDF)

This book provides an overview of the main topics of current cell adhesion research including structural analyses of cell adhesion molecules and studies to their functional role in vitro and in vivo. The present volume focuses on the four major families of cell-adhesion receptors, i.e. the cadherins, the integrins, the Ig-superfamily and the selectin-based adhesion system which are discussed in detail by numerous experts in the field. TOC:Preface.- Part 1: Cadherins: Cadherin Adhesion: Mechanisms and Molecular Interactions; Structural Aspects of Cadherin/Catenins; Cadherins in Development; Cadherins in Cancer; In Vivo Functions of Catenins; The Molecular Composition and Function of Desmosomes.- Part 2: Integrins and Extracellular Matrix: Regulation of Signal Transduction by Integrins; Integrins and Extracellular Matrix in Animal Models; Hemidesmosomes: Molecular Organization and their Importance for Cell Adhesion and Disease.- Part 3: Immunoglobulin Superfamily: Ceacams; Roles of Nectins in Cell Adhesion, Signaling and Polarisation; Ig Superfamily Cell Adhesion Molecules in the Brain.- Part 4: Physiology and Pathology of Cell Adhesion: Adhesion Mechanisms of Endothelial Cells; Pharmacology of Platelet Adhesion and Aggregation.