Our long term interest is to identify the intracellular signals transduced, and the pathways that are activated, upon cell binding to the surface.
Adhesion receptors mediate cell binding to extracellular matrix proteins immobilized on surfaces.
Platelets are used in our studies to investigate the mechanism by which members of the integrin family of adhesion receptors regulate cell spreading. These studies are important since spreading is a critical aspect of platelet function. In this system, tyrosine hosphorylation of several proteins correlates with cell spreading. The identification of these phosphoprotein substrates is a main research interest in our laboratory. Vascular grafts are frequently used in surgery to substitute diseased blood vessels.