Laboratory of Integrin Signaling and Tumorigenesis

Scientific Overview

General Overview

Cindy Miranti’s lab studies the mechanisms through which a cell interacts with its surroundings and receives signals from other parts of the body. A particular focus is on proteins called “integrins,” which have part of their molecule outside the cell, part within the cell’s outer membrane, and the remainder within the cell. Integrins are involved in the attachment of cells to their surroundings helping to give shape to tissues and allowing the controlled movement of cells.  Cell attachment and movement are misregulated in cancer cells, especially during metastasis when tumor cells move from the primary tumor site to distant tissues.  How integrins receive and process signals that lead to the misregulation of cell attachment and movement is a major question the lab is pursuing, in particular with regard to metastatic prostate cancer and melanoma.