Binding to cells via a high affinity receptor, laminin is thought to mediate the attachment, migration and organization of cells into tissues during embryonic development by interacting with other extracellular matrix components.
Laminin-5 is thought to be involved in (1) cell adhesion via integrin alpha-3/beta-1 in focal adhesion and integrin alpha-6/beta-4 in hemidesmosomes, (2) signal transduction via tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125-FAK and p80, (3) differentiation of keratinocytes.
Subcellular locations: Secreted, Extracellular space, Extracellular matrix, Basement membrane
Major component.
Skin; respiratory, urinary, and digestive epithelia and in other specialized tissues with prominent secretory or protective functions. Epithelial basement membrane, and epithelial cell tongue that migrates into a wound bed. A differential and focal expression of the subunit alpha-3 is observed in the CNS.