Researchers elucidate the mechanics of cellular attachment

For cells to assemble into tissues and whole organs, the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as integrins are required. The ECM forms a kind of extra-cellular protein meshwork; the integrins are surface proteins, which cells ...

Team gets a closer look at how proteins meet on the cell membrane

Scripps Research scientists have uncovered the workings of a critical process in cell survival. Their study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show exactly how a protein ...

Molecular beacons shine light on how cells 'crawl'

Adherent cells, the kind that form the architecture of all multi-cellular organisms, are mechanically engineered with precise forces that allow them to move around and stick to things. Proteins called integrin receptors act ...