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Tetraspanin Cd9: Contributions To Cancer Cell And Vascular Cell Phenotypes From The Sixth Man, Michael James Herr Ii

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Cancer and vascular disease are the two most predominant causes of mortality in the United States. Potential regulatory mechanisms for these two diseases have consumed research interests. Tetraspanins are cell surface proteins that organize the cell membrane. Cellular membrane organization is a prerequisite for cellular signaling to occur. Deregulation of cellular signaling often precedes the formation of cancer or vascular disease phenotypes. This insinuates the necessity to understand how tetraspanins contribute to membrane organization and subsequent downstream signaling. This work examines tetraspanin CD9 contributions in a model of cancer cell invasion and vascular cell contraction. The findings presented here demonstrate …