The interaction between urokinase receptor and vitronectin in cell adhesion and signalling

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex structural entity surrounding and supporting cells present in all tissue and organs. Cell–matrix interactions play fundamental roles during embryonic development, morphogenesis, tissue homoeostasis, wound healing, and tumourigenesis. Cell–matrix communicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of cell biology 2008-09, Vol.87 (8), p.617-629
Main Authors: Madsen, Chris D., Sidenius, Nicolai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cell Adhesion
Cell migration
Extracellular Matrix - metabolism
Fibronectin
Focal Adhesions
HIV-1 - metabolism
Humans
Integrin signalling
Integrins
Integrins - metabolism
Models, Biological
Receptors, Cell Surface - metabolism
Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator
Signal Transduction
uPAR
Vitronectin
Vitronectin - metabolism
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Summary:The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex structural entity surrounding and supporting cells present in all tissue and organs. Cell–matrix interactions play fundamental roles during embryonic development, morphogenesis, tissue homoeostasis, wound healing, and tumourigenesis. Cell–matrix communication is kept in balance by physical contact and by transmembrane integrin receptors providing the dynamic link between the extracellular and intracellular environments through bi-directional signalling. The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a plasma membrane receptor overexpressed during inflammation and in almost all human cancers. One of its functions is to endorse ECM remodelling through the activation of plasminogen and downstream proteases, including matrix-metalloproteases (MMPs). Beside its role in ECM degradation, uPAR modulates cell–matrix contact through a direct engagement with the ECM component, vitronectin (Vn), and by regulating the activity state of integrins thus promoting or inhibiting integrin signalling and integrin-mediated cell adhesion to other ECM components, like fibronectin and collagen. In this review we have centred our attention on the non-proteolytic function of uPAR as a mediator of cell adhesion and downstream signalling.
ISSN:0171-9335
1618-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.ejcb.2008.02.003