Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 31, 2026

Intercellular adhesion molecule

In molecular biology, intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are part of the immunoglobulin superfamily. They are important in inflammation, immune responses and in intracellular signalling events. The ICAM family consists of five members, designated ICAM-1 to ICAM-5. They are known to bind to leucocyte integrins CD11/CD18 such as LFA-1 and Macrophage-1 antigen, during inflammation and in immune responses. In addition, ICAMs may exist in soluble forms in human plasma, due to activation and proteolysis mechanisms at cell surfaces.

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May 31, 2026
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Intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM), N-terminal domain
structure of the two amino-terminal domains of human intercellular adhesion molecule-1, icam-1
Identifiers
SymbolICAM_N
PfamPF03921
Pfam clanCL0159
InterProIPR013768
SCOP21zxq / SCOPe / SUPFAM
Membranome219
Available protein structures:
PDB  IPR013768 PF03921 (ECOD; PDBsum)  
AlphaFold

In molecular biology, intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are part of the immunoglobulin superfamily. They are important in inflammation, immune responses and in intracellular signalling events.1 The ICAM family consists of five members, designated ICAM-1 to ICAM-5. They are known to bind to leucocyte integrins CD11/CD18 such as LFA-1 and Macrophage-1 antigen, during inflammation and in immune responses. In addition, ICAMs may exist in soluble forms in human plasma, due to activation and proteolysis mechanisms at cell surfaces.

Mammalian intercellular adhesion molecules include:

References

References

  1. Gahmberg CG, Tolvanen M, Kotovuori P (April 1997). "Leukocyte adhesion--structure and function of human leukocyte beta2-integrins and their cellular ligands". Eur. J. Biochem. 245 (2): 215–32. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1997.00215.x. PMID 9151947.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Pfam and InterPro: IPR013768