Question

Explain the role of adhesion molecules in immune activation.

Answer 1

Adhesion molecules play a major role in many biological functions. They are crucial in the development of embryo into formed organism; later they mediate many physiological and pathological functions. From the immunological point of view they are involved in virtually every process of cell interactions, involving thymic selection and antigen priming, antigen recognition and cell activation, cytotoxicity and lymphocyte recirculation. This review focuses mainly on the role of adhesion molecules in close contact between the cells, crucial for the inflammatory and immune responses