 ICAM-1 (source code)

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= ICAM-1
{c}

<ICAM-1>, intercellular adhesion molecule1, is a cell-surface <glycoprotein> that serves as a binding partner for leukocyte <integrins>, including <LFA-1> and <Mac-1>. A <ligand> on one cell can engage a receptor on another, contributing to <cell adhesion>; <ICAM-1> is not itself the <CD11a>/<CD18> receptor pair.

A 1987 reconstitution experiment made the interaction testable. Purified <ICAM-1> was placed in artificial supported <lipid bilayers>. Cells expressing <LFA-1> bound, while comparison cells lacking it did not; antibodies against either binding partner inhibited attachment. Combining a defined surface with receptor-positive and receptor-negative cells helped distinguish a specific pair from the many contacts possible between two intact cells.<Purified intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a ligand for lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) by Steven D. Marlin and Timothy A. Springer>[Abstract: supported membranes and blocking comparisons]{ref}

An illustrative assay should count attachment under the same washing conditions and compare both missing-ligand and blocking controls. Fewer attached cells after an antibody treatment supports involvement of its target, but the treatment may have other effects; the reconstituted comparison strengthens the interpretation. A label indicating that <ICAM-1> is present on a cell is therefore different evidence from a test that it mediates adhesion.

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