Integrins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of proteins found on cell surfaces that enable adhesion between cells and their external environment, influencing interactions and signaling processes
2. Proteins located on cell membranes that assist in connecting cells to one another and to the extracellular matrix, playing essential roles in cellular interactions and functions
3. Proteins embedded in the cell membrane that facilitate binding between the cell and its surroundings, thereby regulating communication and attachment

Etymology: "Integrins" is the plural of "integrin", and the singular form is a deliberate coinage from the late twentieth century rather than an ancient or inherited term. The name was built from the Latin "integer", meaning whole or entire, combined with a suffix that chemists and biologists use to name proteins. The idea behind it was that these molecules integrate the inside and outside of a cell, linking its internal skeleton to the material surrounding it. Because the word is a modern technical formation, its parts are easy to read: the root carries the sense of wholeness, and the ending marks it as a protein. Its meaning is therefore tied to function rather than to any older everyday sense, so the name describes what the molecules do in the cell, not a traditional concept that was later applied to them.