Abstract
Although this review has covered the diverse roles of integrin receptors in articular cartilage, we suspect that the research carried out to date has merely revealed the tip of the iceberg. Here, we summarise the main points concerning the involvement of integrins in cartilage function and pathophysiology: During growth and development, the skeletal system, particularly the cartilage lining the articulating surfaces of bones, optimises its extracellular matrix architecture by subtle adaptations to the prevailing mechanical loads. The mechanisms for adaptation involve a multi-step process of cellular mechanotransduction including mechanocoupling, conversion of mechanical forces into local mechanical signals, (i.e. shear stresses, that initiate a response by chondrocytes), biochemical coupling, transduction of a mechanical signal to a biochemical response involving pathways within the cell membrane and cytoskeleton; and finally modulation of gene expression and cell behaviour. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.