If a drug blocked the activity of an integrin, that cell would not be able to respond to changes in the ECM.

Question

Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)

Answer 1

True

Clarify question

What is the key concept addressed by the question? The question is asking about the functions of the molecules that make up anchoring junctions. More specifically it is asking about the role of integrin.

What type of thinking is required? You are being asked to take what you already know about integrin and to extend, or apply, your knowledge to a situation in which integrin is not working.

What key words does this question contain and what do they mean?

? Block activity, which in this question, means that integrin is not working correctly.

Gather content

What do you know about the function of integrin? How does it relate to the question? To solve this problem, you need to apply your knowledge of the role on integrin in cells. Where is it found? What molecules does it interact with? Does integrin interact with the ECM? The question is asking you what would happen if integrin was not working correctly in the cell-so being able to understand the functions of integrin will enable you to answer the question.

Consider possibilities

Does integrin interact with the ECM? If so, would the cell be able to respond to ECM changes if integrin was not functioning correctly? Would non-functional integrin affect any other aspect of cell function? If integrin does not interact with the ECM, would the fact that integrin was not functioning have an impact on the ECM? Does the ECM change or is it a static structure? If the ECM is not static, would changes have any impact on cell function?

Choose answer

Given what you now know, what information and/or problem-solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer? Decide whether or not integrin interacts with the ECM. If it does, can you reasonably assume that a drug that blocks the activity of integrin would make the cell unable to respond to changes in the ECM?

Reflect on process

Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

? This question asked you about the role of integrin in the animal cell. Answering this question correctly depended on your ability to use your knowledge of integrin location and function and to apply it to a new situation in which integrin activity has been blocked.

? If you got the correct answer, great! Remember it's important to keep using an effective systematic approach to answering questions and to reinforce those good habits over time. If you got an incorrect answer, where did the process break down? Did you remember that integrin links cells to the ECM? Did you understand that the ECM is a dynamic structure, and changes in the ECM affect cell function? Were you able to make the connection that, since integrin links the cells to the ECM, if there is a defect in integrin, changes in the ECM would not be detected by the cell?