Integrins, adhesion molecules and surgical research.

Integrins and adhesion molecules are a group of closely related glycoproteins expressed by a wide variety of cells. In vitro experiments have shown these families of cell surface receptors to be essential to the interactions between the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. Although the designations of families of integrins and adhesion molecules is complex, this review attempts to present an organization in which the result is to provide surgeons with an understanding of their structure and function. This is particularly important because integrins and adhesion molecules have a critical role in such diverse processes as embryogenesis, inflammation, wound healing, thrombosis, transplantation and oncogenic transformation. It is, therefore, highly probable that they will be critical to future advances in surgical research and ultimately in surgical practice. It should be remembered that this area of investigation is so dynamic that the interval involved in publication of this article will in itself be characterized by a plethora of publications in the basic science and surgical literature, which warrants careful attention.