Both the angiotensin converting enzymes and ITGB1 traverse the plasma membrane; the angiotensin converting enzymes also exist in soluble forms in the plasma when shed from the cell membrane. Recent studies of heart failure patients have linked elevated levels of soluble (shed) ACE2 (sACE2) to increased myocardial dysfunction and thus have indirectly identified a protective role for the cell surface-associated form [29] . Hence, the ectodomain of ACE2 may have a role in cardiac remodelling independent of its catalytic activity. Here we show that both angiotensin converting enzymes bind ITGB1 and integrin a5 (ITGA5) in vitro. The data presented provide evidence that the enzymes provide a substrate for cellular adhesion and that the interaction between ACE2 and an integrin increases cellular adhesion when both are present on the cell membrane. We demonstrate that the ectodomain of ACE2 regulates integrin induced cell signalling via modulation of the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Akt expression levels.