@Article{ecn.2009.0168,
AUTHOR = {Federico Bussolino, Francesca Caccavari, Donatella Valdembri, Guido Serini},
TITLE = {Angiogenesis: a balancing act between integrin activation and inhibition?},
JOURNAL = {European Cytokine Network},
VOLUME = {20},
YEAR = {2009},
NUMBER = {4},
PAGES = {191--196},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/ECN/v20n4/65888},
ISSN = {1952-4005},
ABSTRACT = {Acquisition of new genes encoding for extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and their cognate
integrin adhesive receptors, as well as secreted pro- and anti-angiogenic factors, proved to be essential for the
development of functional vascular networks in the vertebrate embryo. There is now clear evidence that post-natal,
pathological tissue neo-vascularization is crucial for cancer growth and therapy as well. Integrins are
major ECM receptors that can exist in different functional states with respect to their affinity for ECM pro-teins.
Regulation of integrin activation is crucial for their biological functions. In the embryo, the development
of a properly patterned network of blood vessels relies upon the fine modulation of integrin activation by che-moattractant
and chemorepulsive cues, such as angiogenic growth factors and semaphorins. Such a fine-tuning
of endothelial integrin function is likely to be disrupted in cancer. Here, the vasculature is structurally and func-tionally
abnormal and therefore inadequate for an efficient drug and oxygen delivery, which is a mandatory
pre-requisite for successful chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is thus important to identify the molecular
mechanisms that regulate integrin function in normal ECs and which are altered in tumor ECs.},
DOI = {10.1684/ecn.2009.0168}
}