Alternative splicing of fibronectin: three variants, three functions.

Fibronectin (FN) is a multi-functional extracellular matrix protein required for cell adhesion and migration, blood clotting, wound healing, and oncogenic transformation. The functional complexity is paralleled by structural diversity in that multiple forms of FN are generated by cell type-specific alternative splicing. In the rat, up to 12 different combinations of the three alternatively spliced segments (EIIIA, EIIIB, and the V region) are produced. What effects do these segments have on FN function? Recently, progress has been made in the identification of specific activities for the three variants of the V region, V120, V95, and V0. FN-mediated cell adhesion, FN synthesis and secretion, and incorporation into blood clots are differentially affected by these isoforms. These results suggest that cellular behavior is modulated by environmental cues provided by different types and proportions of alternatively spliced FN variants.