... Molecules found in the ECM include (1) structural proteins, such as collagen and elastin; (2) adhesion proteins, such as fi bronectin and laminin; (3) soluble growth factors and cytokines; (4) proteoglycans; ... adhesion proteins that are referred to as integrins, which act as receptors and bind to the ECM components, including collagen and fi bronectin (Heino 2000 ; Farias et al. 2005 ) . An integrin molecule ... subtypes of integrins recognize this particular adhe-sive motif, and thus integrins can bind to the major ECM proteins (fi bronectin, col-lagen, laminin, vitronectin, to name just a few) and mediate...