Targeting Cell-Cell and Cell-Matrix Interactions and Its Therapeutic Applications

Cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction is clearly required for metazoans not only to hold their cells together but also to conduct more sophisticated biological processes. Each cell has adhesion molecules on its cell membrane to link extracellular matrix and adjacent cells to the intracellular cytoskeleton, and also to transduce signals. In complex metazoans, information is transmitted from one cell to another by mechanisms such as direct intercellular communication, soluble signal molecules among distant cells, and local cellular environments formed by highly specialized extracellular matrix. (omitted)