ABSTRACT
Cell adhesion is now recognized as a cornerstone in the functional biology of multicellular organisms, and research on cell adhesion presently represents one of the most active fields in molecular cell biology. Cell adhesion is mediated by cell surface proteins that are known as cell adhesion molecules, or CAMs. Recent progress has clearly demonstrated that CAMs are not just passive “glues” that organize cells into tissues, but are active transducers of signals which regulate a number of primary cellular events, important in both embryonic development and adult physiology (Gumbiner, 1995; Kirkpatrick and Peifer, 1995; Ruoslahti and Öbrink, 1996).
