Figure 5.

Stimulation of FAK signaling pathways by integrins. Binding of ECM substrates to integrins triggers phosphorylation and activation of FAK. The active kinase subsequently associates with and activates Src, another tyrosine kinase, thus initiating a signaling cascade that involves further stimulation of the Crk and Dock 180. The latter stimulates activation of the small GTPase Rac1, which regulates the actin cytoskeleton and promotes cell migration, a key step in wound regeneration. Active FAK also induces stimulation of PI3K, which promotes activation of Vav, another protein that induces Rac 1 activation and cell migration. To see this illustration in color, the reader is referred to the web version of this article at www.liebertpub.com/wound