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Cell Adhesion Molecules Research
Research Guide
What is Cell Adhesion Molecules Research?
Cell Adhesion Molecules Research is the study of proteins that mediate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, including integrins, selectins, and cadherins, and their roles in physiological processes such as inflammation, immune responses, and pathological conditions like atherosclerosis and cancer metastasis.
Cell Adhesion Molecules Research encompasses over 121,779 published works focused on molecules that regulate cell adhesion dynamics. Key studies include Hynes (1992) detailing integrin versatility in adhesion and signaling, and Springer (1994) outlining the multistep paradigm for leukocyte emigration. Research spans immune cell trafficking, as shown in Mizgerd et al. (1997) with CD18-deficient mice, and disease contexts like Ross (1993) on atherosclerosis pathogenesis.
Research Sub-Topics
Integrin Signaling in Cell Adhesion
This sub-topic elucidates bidirectional signaling pathways through integrin ectodomain and cytoplasmic tails. Researchers investigate conformational changes, kinase activation, and cytoskeletal links.
Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency and CD18
This sub-topic uses CD11/CD18 knockout models to study neutrophil emigration in inflammation sites. Researchers compare tissue-specific requirements for β2-integrin function.
Lymphocyte Homing and Multistep Adhesion
This sub-topic models selectin-mediated tethering, chemokine-induced activation, and integrin arrest in recirculation. Researchers dissect vascular bed-specific molecular cues.
Cell Adhesion Molecules in Atherosclerosis
This sub-topic examines VCAM-1, ICAM-1 roles in monocyte recruitment to arterial walls. Researchers link adhesion to plaque progression and vulnerability.
Adhesion Molecules in Breast Cancer Metastasis
This sub-topic investigates integrins and cadherins facilitating tumor cell extravasation and colonization. Researchers correlate expression with metastatic potential and therapeutic response.
Why It Matters
Cell Adhesion Molecules Research impacts clinical outcomes in cancer and inflammation by identifying therapeutic targets. For example, trastuzumab treatment after adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival in HER2-positive breast cancer patients, as demonstrated in Piccart et al. (2005) with results from ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00045032. In metastasis, Weidner et al. (1991) correlated microvessel density in invasive breast carcinoma with metastatic potential, while Müller et al. (2001) linked chemokine receptors to breast cancer spread. Recent preprints target CADM1 in lung adenocarcinoma for chimeric therapies and develop antibody-drug conjugates against cadherin, claudin, and nectin families, addressing epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in solid tumors. Funding like the Cell Adhesion Chromatography Project at Georgia Tech models tumor vasculature to enrich immune cells with superior tumor-infiltrating potential.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Integrins: Versatility, modulation, and signaling in cell adhesion" by Richard O. Hynes (1992) provides foundational understanding of integrin functions before advancing to later works.
Key Papers Explained
Hynes (1992) "Integrins: Versatility, modulation, and signaling in cell adhesion" establishes core integrin mechanisms, extended by Hynes (2002) "Integrins" with updated insights on modulation. Springer (1994) "Traffic signals for lymphocyte recirculation and leukocyte emigration: The multistep paradigm" builds on Springer (1990) "Adhesion receptors of the immune system" to detail immune trafficking. Ross (1993) "The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: a perspective for the 1990s" integrates adhesion in vascular disease, while Mizgerd et al. (1997) tests CD11/CD18 roles experimentally.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Recent preprints focus on antibody-drug conjugates targeting cadherin, claudin, and nectin families for tumors with epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity. CADM1 modulation in lung adenocarcinoma supports chimeric therapies, and N-cadherin hydrogels enhance neural regeneration. Funding drives Cell Adhesion Chromatography for tumor-infiltrating immune cells, with Lasker Award recognizing integrins in disease.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: a perspective for the 1990s | 1993 | Nature | 10.6K | ✕ |
| 2 | Integrins: Versatility, modulation, and signaling in cell adhe... | 1992 | Cell | 9.9K | ✕ |
| 3 | Integrins | 2002 | Cell | 8.4K | ✓ |
| 4 | Neutrophil emigration in the skin, lungs, and peritoneum: diff... | 1997 | PubMed | 7.1K | ✕ |
| 5 | Traffic signals for lymphocyte recirculation and leukocyte emi... | 1994 | Cell | 7.0K | ✕ |
| 6 | Studies of the HER-2/ <i>neu</i> Proto-Oncogene in Human Breas... | 1989 | Science | 6.8K | ✕ |
| 7 | Adhesion receptors of the immune system | 1990 | Nature | 6.5K | ✕ |
| 8 | Tumor Angiogenesis and Metastasis — Correlation in Invasive Br... | 1991 | New England Journal of... | 5.7K | ✕ |
| 9 | Involvement of chemokine receptors in breast cancer metastasis | 2001 | Nature | 5.3K | ✕ |
| 10 | Trastuzumab after Adjuvant Chemotherapy in HER2-Positive Breas... | 2005 | New England Journal of... | 5.1K | ✓ |
In the News
Funding – Biolocity - Georgia Tech
The Cell Adhesion Chromatography Project aims to develop a platform that predicts and enriches for immune cells with superior tumor-infiltrating potential. Led by Dr. Susan Thomas, this technology ...
Hydrogel with cell-cell adhesion cues enhances neural regeneration
enhance neural regeneration remained largely unexplored. Here, we present a diffusive N-cadherin functionalized hydrogel system, which provided cell-cell adhesion cues to modulate intercellular com...
Targeting the Akt–EphA2 axis and cell–cell adhesion ...
## Funding
Integrins—mediators of cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion - Lasker Foundation
The **2022 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award** honors three scientists for discoveries concerning the integrins, key mediators of cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion in physiology and disea...
Research breakthrough offers hope for new colorectal ...
It was supported by the National Key Research and Development Programme of China. Article: Binding of Fusobacterium nucleatum autotransporter adhesin CbpF to human CEACAM1 and CEACAM5: A Velcr...
Code & Tools
CellAdhesion is a software package written in the Julia programming language that provides tools for modeling binding-unbinding dynamics of cell ad...
This code simulates a 2D cell on a flat substrate with adhesion molecules modeled as springs between the two surfaces. Springs can be set as linear...
Bioimage analysis workflow for the analysis of high throughput microscpy experiments to assess cell adhesion (specifically, to quantify the binding...
The `ACAM` library is an implementation of a mechanical model of an active epithelial tissue. ## Overview ### The apposed-cortex model #### How ...
**What can I do with scConnect?**You can investigate expression of ligands and receptors among the cell types in your scRNA-seq dataset. You can de...
Recent Preprints
Cell adhesion molecule-1 is a promising target for chimeric ...
Advances in targeted therapies, immune-checkpoint inhibitors, and chemo-immunotherapy combinations have improved survival in subsets of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients, yet novel treatments are...
Antibody-drug conjugates targeting the cadherin, claudin and nectin families of adhesion molecules
The classical cadherin (CDH), claudin (CLDN) and nectin families of transmembrane-type adhesion molecules are located at adherens or tight junctions in epithelial cells but diffuse to the nonjuncti...
CD31 expression in human cancers
platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1), is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell adhesion and signal transduction within vascular endothelial cells. 1 It plays a crucial ro...
Stabilization of adhesions controls F-actin architecture in mechanotransduction
A cell’s ability to sense and respond to the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for maintaining tissue homeostasis, and its disruption contributes to diseases such...
Cell adhesion - Latest research and news
Cell adhesion is the process by which cells form contacts with each other or with their substratum through specialized protein complexes. Intercellular adhesion can be mediated by adherens junction...
Latest Developments
Recent developments in cell adhesion molecules research include advances in understanding their roles in neural development, tumor growth, and tissue engineering, with notable studies published in early 2026 highlighting their involvement in cancer metastasis, neuronal migration, and synthetic cell adhesion systems (Nature, ScienceDirect, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Nature).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What role do integrins play in cell adhesion?
Integrins mediate cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion with versatility in modulation and signaling, as described by Hynes (1992). Hynes (2002) further details their functions in adhesion processes. These proteins enable dynamic interactions essential for tissue integrity and response to mechanical cues.
How do CD11/CD18 complexes affect neutrophil emigration?
CD18-deficient mice show 11-fold more neutrophils in peripheral blood than wild-type mice and altered emigration in skin, lungs, and peritoneum, per Mizgerd et al. (1997). Different requirements for CD11/CD18 were revealed across tissues during inflammation. This demonstrates tissue-specific roles in leukocyte trafficking.
What is the multistep paradigm in leukocyte emigration?
Springer (1994) describes traffic signals for lymphocyte recirculation and leukocyte emigration as a multistep process involving adhesion molecules. This paradigm explains sequential interactions enabling immune cell migration. It builds on earlier work like Springer (1990) on adhesion receptors of the immune system.
How are cell adhesion molecules linked to cancer metastasis?
Müller et al. (2001) showed chemokine receptors drive breast cancer metastasis through adhesion mechanisms. Weidner et al. (1991) found microvessel density predicts metastatic risk in breast carcinoma. Recent preprints target CADM1 and cadherin families with antibody-drug conjugates for solid tumors.
What are current applications of cell adhesion research in therapy?
Piccart et al. (2005) reported trastuzumab improves survival in HER2-positive breast cancer post-chemotherapy. Preprints explore CADM1 for lung adenocarcinoma therapies and N-cadherin hydrogels for neural regeneration. Tools like CellAdhesion.jl model binding-unbinding dynamics computationally.
What computational tools support cell adhesion molecules research?
CellAdhesion.jl models binding-unbinding dynamics of adhesion molecules in Julia. wholeCellFE simulates 2D cells with adhesion as springs, linear or nonlinear. cell_adhesion_assay analyzes high-throughput microscopy for cell binding quantification using Fiji.
Open Research Questions
- ? How do tissue-specific differences in CD11/CD18 requirements influence neutrophil emigration across organs like skin, lungs, and peritoneum?
- ? Can stabilization of adhesions via F-actin architecture be targeted to restore mechanotransduction in fibrosis and cancer?
- ? What precise roles do CADM1 modulations during EMT-MET cycling play in improving chimeric therapies for non-responding lung adenocarcinoma patients?
- ? How do apposed-cortex models incorporating active epithelial tissue mechanics predict adhesion dynamics in disease states?
- ? Which ligand-receptor interactions in scRNA-seq data best predict functional cell adhesion in tumor microenvironments?
Recent Trends
Preprints from the last 6 months target CADM1 as a therapy for lung adenocarcinoma via EMT-MET cycling and antibody-drug conjugates against cadherin, claudin, nectin families dated 2025-10-14. CD31 expression studies link PECAM-1 to angiogenesis and cancer, while stabilization of adhesions controls F-actin in mechanotransduction.
2025-12-11News highlights hydrogel N-cadherin systems for neural regeneration and Georgia Tech funding for Cell Adhesion Chromatography (2025-06-24).
2026-01-19Computational tools like CellAdhesion.jl and scConnect advance modeling and scRNA-seq analysis.
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