Preferred Label : Lymphocyte Adhesion Pathway;
NCIt related terms : Adhesion and Diapedesis of Lymphocytes;
Alternative definition : BIOCARTA: Cell adhesion is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms including
their defense mechanisms. In the later case in mammals, leukocytes play a central
role. They bind bacteria, parasites, viruses, tumor cells, etc. Furthermore, their
interactions with the endothelium are of special importance. Generally, lymphocyte
adhesion and passage from the bloodstream to the lymphatic system occurs in the high
endothelial venules of the lymph nodes. This way the lymphocytes can communicate with
each other in the lymphatic system and search for foreign compounds after their recirculation
to the bloodstream, thus fulfilling their role in the immune system. The reaction
passes through the following steps: 1. Rolling, the flow of cells is slowed down by
first making contacts to the endothelium via P-, E-, and L-selectins and their receptors;
2. Adhesion, after activation of leukocyte integrins, firm contacts are established
between them and endothelium molecules of the Ig superfamily (e.g., LFA-1, Mac-1,
VLA-4); 3. Flattening of the cells and diapedesis, adhering leukocytes crawl to an
intercellular junction of the endothelium and then transmigrate to or even through
the intercellular matrix. This is mediated by homophilic interactions of PECAM and
CD31. (This definition may be outdated - see the DesignNote.);
NCIt note : The BIOCARTA Definition (ALT_DEFINITION) for this pathway concept was provided by
BioCarta. This property was not created by, nor is it maintained by the NCI Thesaurus
staff. Additionally, BioCarta is no longer updating its pathway data; thus, the BIOCARTA
Definition might be outdated or inaccurate. Please see the Terms and Conditions for
Use at http://www.biocarta.com/.;
Biocarta ID : h_lympathway;
Origin ID : C39142;
UMLS CUI : C1518058;
Semantic type(s)
- has_gene_product_element
- pathway_has_gene_element
