Affiliations: [a] Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA | [b] Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Klaus Ley, M.D., Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Tel.: +1 858 752 6661; Fax: +1 858 752 6985; E-mail: klaus@lji.org.
Abstract: Integrins are a group of heterodimeric transmembrane receptors that play essential roles in cell–cell and cell–matrix interaction. Integrins are important in many physiological processes and diseases. Integrins acquire affinity to their ligand by undergoing molecular conformational changes called activation. Here we review the molecular biomechanics during conformational changes of integrins, integrin functions in leukocyte biorheology (adhesive functions during rolling and arrest) and molecules involved in integrin activation.
