Mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAdCAM-1) proteins are cell adhesion molecules expressed on the endothelium in mucosa that guide the specific homing of lymphocytes into mucosal tissues [, ]. MAdCAM-1 belongs to a subclass of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF), whose members are ligands for integrins []. MAdCAM-1 is the major ligand for alpha4beta7 integrin []and the ligand for L-selectin [].
