ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role that integrins play in both responding to intracellular signals generated in lymphocytes and in generating signals when integrins are engaged by a relevant ligand. It focuses on the integrins expressed on human T cells. The chapter addresses the answer for following questions: How is T cell integrin function regulated? Do T cell integrins transduce signals? What is the in vivo significance of signaling to and from T cell integrins? Other less well-defined members of the integrin family of adhesion molecules have also recently been reported to be expressed on various types of T cells. Differential expression of integrins, along with other adhesion molecules, is also a phenotypic hallmark of two distinct subsets of peripheral T cells that are thought to represent distinct stages of peripheral T cell differentiation. Considerable recent interest has focused on the role that lymphocyte activation events play in regulating the functional activity of integrin molecules.
