Lipid bilayer control of nascent adhesion formation

Abstract

The adhesion of cells to an extracellular matrix is a dynamic process involving structural and signaling proteins, that, in turn, regulate key cellular processes, including migration, gene expression, differentiation and signaling. Integrins play important roles as primary adhesion receptors, and integrinmediated cell adhesion sites can be differentiated, based on size and location, into nascent adhesions, focal complexes, focal adhesions, and fibrillar adhesions. The formation of nascent adhesions to a surface requires the bending of the membrane toward a surface, diffusion of integrins to the area of close contact, and molecular adhesion. Each of these processes is sensitive to the lipid make up of the membrane. Therefore, the lipid bilayer may exert significant control over the dynamics of nascent adhesion formation. In this review, we consider the structure and components of cellular adhesions and lipid bilayers. We then review membrane properties of bending rigidity, viscosity, and thickness that are thought to have a central role in the formation of nascent cell adhesions via membrane curvature, redistribution of integrins, and bond formation.