Fibronectin and the Cytoskeleton

Abstract

One of the striking observations concerning the FN-rich extracellular matrix is its close relationship with the intracellular cytoskeleton. A relationship was suggested almost as soon as cellular FN was described and subsequent work has confirmed that it exists (reviewed in Hynes, 1981b). However, the molecular details of this relationship, bound up as they are with the question of the nature of the “cell surface receptors” for FN, have only recently started to become clear. In this chapter I will review the evidence for a connection between extracellular FN and intracellular microfilaments, discuss some areas of controversy, and consider current models for the molecular basis of this connection and some of its implications.