Integrin cytoplasmic domains: mediators of cytoskeletal linkages and extra- and intracellular initiated transmembrane signaling

Abstract

The integrin cytoplasmic domains are generally short amino acid sequences that are highly divergent among alpha-subunits and partially conserved among beta-subunits. Interest in them has increased over the past few years as they have been shown to mediate several kinds of transmembrane signaling events as well as structural connections between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton.