Description: The VI-PL2 monoclonal antibody reacts with human CD61, also known as integrin beta 3 and GPIIIa. CD61 is a 90-110 kDa member of the beta integrin family expressed by a wide variety of cells, including leukocytes, platelets, endothelial and smooth muscle cells. CD61 associates non-covalently with the alpha integrins CD41 and CD51, to form the alpha IIb/beta 3 (CD41/CD61) and alpha V/beta 3 (CD51/CD61) complexes. These alpha/beta heterodimers are capable of mediating a variety of cellular responses including adhesion, trafficking, proliferaton and differentiation. The CD41/CD61 integrin has been shown to be involved in platelet aggregation, and binds to fibrinogen, von Willebrand Factor (vWF) and fibronectin. The CD51/CD61 integrin binds to matrix proteins including vitronectin, fibronectin, vWF and fibrinogen, and has been shown to have a strong role in modulating the migration and survival of angiogenic endothelial cells.
