Epithelial Integrins Coordinate Cellular Crosstalk Through the Regulation of Cytokines During Tissue Remodeling

Integrins are obligate αβ heterodimeric receptors that mediate cell-extracellular matrix interactions and exhibit bidirectional signal transduction across the plasma membrane. This integrin-mediated signal transduction regulates the expression of genes, a subset of which encode cytokines-small, secreted proteins that exhibit cell-cell communication in an autocrine or paracrine manner to regulate cell survival, proliferation, migration, ECM remodeling, and the immune response. This review examines epithelial integrins in the regulation of paracrine-acting cytokines that crosstalk to immune and stromal cells to coordinate normal and pathological tissue remodeling. Contexts explored include wound repair, fibrosis, and cancer.