Published online before print April 28, 2009
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* San Raffaele Research Institute and
San Raffaele University, Faculty of Medicine, Milan, Italy
1. Correspondence: San Raffaele Research Institute, Genetics and Cell Biology, via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milano, Italy. E-mail: palumbo.roberta{at}hsr.it
ABSTRACT
HMGB1 is a nuclear protein that signals tissue damage, as it is released by cells dying traumatically or secreted by activated innate immunity cells. Extracellular HMGB1 elicits the migration to the site of tissue damage of several cell types, including inflammatory cells and stem cells. The identity of the signaling pathways activated by extracellular HMGB1 is not known completely: We reported previously that ERK and NF-
B pathways are involved, and we report here that Src is also activated. The ablation of Src or inhibition with the kinase inhibitor PP2 blocks migration toward HMGB1. Src associates to and mediates the phosphorylation of FAK and the formation of focal adhesions.
Key Words: chemokines DAMP danger signals stem cells tissue repair