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Review
. 2015;9(5):406-15.
doi: 10.1080/19336918.2015.1005465. Epub 2015 Jun 19.

Tetraspanins in cell migration

Xupin Jiang, Jiaping Zhang  1 , Yuesheng Huang  1
Affiliations
Review

Tetraspanins in cell migration

Xupin Jiang et al. Cell Adh Migr. 2015.

Abstract

Tetraspanins are a superfamily of small transmembrane proteins that are expressed in almost all eukaryotic cells. Through interacting with one another and with other membrane and intracellular proteins, tetraspanins regulate a wide range of proteins such as integrins, cell surface receptors, and signaling molecules, and thereby engage in diverse cellular processes ranging from cell adhesion and migration to proliferation and differentiation. In particular, tetraspanins modulate the function of proteins involved in all determining factors of cell migration including cell-cell adhesion, cell-ECM adhesion, cytoskeletal protrusion/contraction, and proteolytic ECM remodeling. We herein provide a brief overview of collective in vitro and in vivo studies of tetraspanins to illustrate their regulatory functions in the migration and trafficking of cancer cells, vascular endothelial cells, skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts), and leukocytes. We also discuss the involvement of tetraspanins in various pathologic and remedial processes that rely on cell migration and their potential value as targets for therapeutic intervention.

Keywords: migration; small transmembrane proteins; tetraspanin; therapeutics.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic drawing of the general structure of tetraspanins. Tetraspanins are composed of 4 transmembrane domains (pink), a small (EC1) and a large extracellular domain (EC2), a very small intracellular domain, and short cytoplasmic N- and C-terminal tails. The EC2 contains a variable region presenting a conserved Cys-Cys-Gly (CCG) motif and 2–6 additional cysteine residues, which form intramolecular disulfide bonds (red dotted lines).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic depiction of how tetraspanins regulate cell migration. T, tetraspanin; I, integrin; C, cadherin; R, Rac; M, matrix metalloproteinase; G, growth factor receptor; A, ALCAM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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