Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions play a critical role in tissue morphogenesis and in homeostasis of adult tissues. The integrin family of adhesion receptors regulates cellular interactions with the extracellular matrix, which provides three-dimensional information for tissue organization. It is currently thought that pancreatic islet cells develop from undifferentiated progenitors residing within the ductal epithelium of the fetal pancreas. This process involves cell budding from the duct, migration into the surrounding mesenchyme, differentiation, and clustering into the highly organized islet of Langerhans. Here we report that alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(5), two integrins known to coordinate epithelial cell adhesion and movement, are expressed in pancreatic ductal cells and clusters of undifferentiated cells emerging from the ductal epithelium. We show that expression and function of alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(5) integrins are developmentally regulated during pancreatic islet ontogeny, and mediate adhesion and migration of putative endocrine progenitor cells both in vitro and in vivo in a model of pancreatic islet development. Moreover, we demonstrate the expression of fibronectin and collagen IV in the basal membrane of pancreatic ducts and of cell clusters budding from the ductal epithelium. Conversely, expression of vitronectin marks a population of epithelial cells adjacent to, or emerging from, pancreatic ducts. Thus, these data provide the first evidence for the contribution of integrins alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(5) and their ligands to morphogenetic events in the human endocrine pancreas.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
5
5%
Engineering
4
4%
Other
2
2%
Unknown
19
19%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 9. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 January 2018.
All research outputs
#5,140,738
of 34,361,833 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Cell Biology
#3,273
of 13,809 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#7,353
of 56,374 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Cell Biology
#16
of 97 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,361,833 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 83rd percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 13,809 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 9.1. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 70% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 56,374 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 79% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 97 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 72% of its contemporaries.
