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Membrane curvature drives the formation of integrin adhesions on soft ECM fibres

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The fibrous geometry of extracellular matrices (ECMs) is believed to facilitate cell adhesion, but a mechanistic link is lacking. We uncover a type of integrin-mediated cell adhesion — ‘curved adhesion’ — driven by the fibrous geometry of the ECM. Curved adhesions are induced by membrane curvature, enabling cell adhesion to soft three-dimensional (3D) ECM fibres.

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Fig. 1: Schematic model of curved adhesion molecular architecture.

References

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This is a summary of: Zhang, W. et al. Curved adhesions mediate cell attachment to soft matrix fibres in three dimensions. Nat. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-023-01238-1 (2023).

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Membrane curvature drives the formation of integrin adhesions on soft ECM fibres. Nat Cell Biol 25, 1573–1574 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-023-01257-y

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