Immune cell adhesion molecule (CAM (general))

Immune cell adhesion molecules are a broad class of cell surface proteins—including integrins, selectins, cadherins, and members of the immunoglobulin superfamily—that mediate the binding of immune cells to each other and to the extracellular matrix. These molecules regulate a range of essential functions in the immune system, including leukocyte rolling, adhesion, transmigration across endothelium, and activation, which are critical for mounting inflammatory responses, immune surveillance, and tissue repair. Dysregulation or aberrant expression of adhesion molecules is associated with numerous disease processes, including chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer metastasis. Because of their central role in immune cell trafficking and activation, several adhesion molecules or their receptors serve as validated therapeutic targets—most notably for antibodies or small molecules that block integrins or members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. However, "immune cell adhesion molecules" is not a single entity, and research/clinical targeting typically focuses on one specific adhesion molecule at a time, such as "ICAM-1", "VCAM-1", or "LFA-1"[1][2][3][5][6][8]. **Important caveat:** The term "immune cell adhesion molecules" is overly broad and not a suitable canonical molecular target. For structured data, information must be split into entries for each specific adhesion molecule (e.g., "Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)", "Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1)", etc.), each with its own properties and drug interactions.

Other names

Cell adhesion molecule (CAM)adhesion moleculeICAMVCAMselectinintegrincadherinIg-superfamily CAM

Inhibition of leukocyte adhesion and migration (by blocking integrins, selectins, or immunoglobulin superfamily CAMs); Immunomodulation by disrupting immune cell-endothelial interactions