Integrins and human intestinal cell functions

Integrins are a large family of cell-surface receptors involved in cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. In epithelia, it is mainly the integrins belonging to the beta1 and beta4 classes that bind to basement membrane molecules such as the laminins and the type IV collagens. Beta1 and beta4 integrins regulate the assembly of adhesive junctions as well as the activation of various signaling pathways leading to the modulation of gene expression. In this review, I will discuss what is currently known about integrins in human intestinal epithelial cells. The interest in the intestinal cell model to analyze cell-matrix interactions will be delineated and the recent experimental evidence showing that these interactions can regulate cell proliferation and differentiation will be presented.