CCBIO Seminar February 19, 2026 - Donald Gullberg
Welcome to the CCBIO seminar series in the spring term of 2026! Open to all in auditorium 4, BBB. No registration is necessary. The speaker this time is Professor Donald Gullberg, who will give a talk on novel integrin models to study tissue and tumor fibrosis.
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Speaker: Professor Donald Gullberg, CCBIO PI and the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen.
Title: Novel integrin models to study tissue and tumor fibrosis
Chair: Carina Strell
Place: Auditorium 4, BB-building
When: February 19, 2026, at 14.30–15.30
No registration necessary. Note that if you are a UiB student and need the ECTS for participation, you need to have registered in Studentweb for this term.
Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increased interest in understanding the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling in tissue -and tumor fibrosis. Integrins constitute a major group of receptors for various ECM components, including the fibrotic collagens (1,2). The Gullberg group has identified and characterized the integrin α11β1 (gene name ITGA11), which is a major fibroblast receptor involved in collagen assembly in tissue and tumor fibrosis (3,4). In the context of tumor fibrosis, the α11 subunit is a biomarker expressed on a matrix-producing subset of cancer-associated fibroblasts. The α11 subunit is also believed to be an anti-fibrotic tumor-restraining target on this subset of cells. In this seminar, we will introduce recent progress in α11 integrin research, including the generation of a novel humanized ITGA11 mouse strain, a novel integrin Itga11 Cre-reporter mouse strain, and progress in α11 integrin antibody characterization and humanization.
References cited:
- Zeltz, C., Kusche-Gullberg, M., Heljasvaara, R., and Gullberg, D. (2023) Novel roles for cooperating collagen receptor families in fibrotic niches. Curr Opin Cell Biol 85, 102273
- Farndale, R., Sonnenberg, A., DiPersio, C. M., Eble, J. A., Heino, J., and Gullberg, D. (2023) What does it take to be a collagen receptor? Matrix Biol 115, 128-132
- Velling, T., Kusche-Gullberg, M., Sejersen, T., and Gullberg, D. (1999) cDNA cloning and chromosomal localization of human alpha(11) integrin. A collagen-binding, I domain-containing, β1-associated integrin α-chain present in muscle tissues. J Biol Chem 274, 25735-25742
- Musiime, M., Erusappan, P. M., Cukierman, E., Chang, J., Molven, A., Hansen, U., Zeltz, C., and Gullberg, D. (2024) Fibroblast integrin alpha11beta1 is a collagen assembly receptor in mechanoregulated fibrillar adhesions. Matrix Biol 134, 144-161