Molecular Playground/IntegrinBeta1: Difference between revisions

Integrins binding to the extracellular matrix provide cells the ability to migrate and remodel the surrounding microenvironment. For these reasons, integrins are extremely important in cancer metastasis, and the progression of solid tumors. When cells bind to extracellular matrix proteins, like <scene name='60/609772/Rgd_bound/1'>RGD (black)</scene> with integrins, these proteins can stimulate survival, migration/invasion, and proliferation  [2]. High expression of integrin beta 1 has been shown to drive primary tumor progression and metastasis, but targeting integrins for cancer treatment has seen limited success [3]. Likely, these failures stem from differential integrin expression between cancer cells, and new technologies to screen cancer cell populations are being developed to screen for affective therapies [4]. These technologies will likely allow for more selective treatment and better clinical efficacy for integrin inhibitors.