Main description:

Cancer was thought to originate from alterations in intercellular signaling that resulted in the transformation of cells, their uncontrolled proliferation and metastasis. There is now an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that the surrounding matrix and cell-matrix interactions are also major players in this process. Cells adhere and receive signals from various extracellular matrices via transmembrane receptors, the best known of which are the heterodimeric glycoproteins, integrins.

Contents:

J.H. Miner. The Extracellular Matrix-an Overview. M. B. Srichai and R. Zent. Integrin structure and function B. Fingleton and L. Conor. Cancer in context: Importance of the tumor microenvironment V. Pedchenko and A. Pozzi. Basement Membrane Collagens and Cancer J. Jourquin, M. Tripathi, C. Guess and V. Quaranta. Laminins and Cancer Progression C.J. Avraamides and J.A. Varner. Fibronectins and their receptors in cancer E. Murphy and D. Stupack. Vitronectin Binding Integrins in Cancer R.A. Brekken and A.D. Bradshaw. The Function of SPARC in Tumor Cell Biology: SPARC as a Modulator of Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interaction R.D. Sanderson, Y. Yang, A. Purushothaman, Y.B. Khotskaya, J.P. Ritchie and V.C. Ramani. Proteoglycans and Cancer A. Zijlstra. Tetraspanins in Cancer P.C. McDonaldand S. Dedhar. The Role of Integrin-Linked Kinase in Cancer Development and Progression V.M. Golubovskaya, E.A. Beierle, S.N. Hochwald, E.V. Kurenova and W.G. Cance. Focal Adhesion Kinase with the interacting proteins and signaling in cancer.