Cell adhesion (None.)

Cell adhesion is an essential process by which animal cells attach to neighboring cells or to the extracellular matrix via specialized cell-surface molecules such as cadherins, integrins, selectins, and immunoglobulin superfamily members. It is critical for tissue formation, cell communication, migration, and signaling. Dysregulation of cell adhesion and its molecules is implicated in a range of diseases—especially cancer metastasis, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders. Cell adhesion is mediated mainly by cell junctions (anchoring, occluding, channel-forming, and signal-relaying), with each CAM family contributing unique binding properties and intracellular signaling functions.

Other names

Cell-cell adhesioncellular adhesion