Integrins ‐ mediators of cellular adhesion or more?

: In the current issue of Acta Physiologica, Nielsen and co-workers publish a paper entitled "Regulation of integrin alpha6 by lactogenic hormones in rat pancreatic beta-cells: Implications for the physiological adaptation to pregnancy" in which the authors describe a novel pathway for increased beta-cell replication in response to lactogenic hormones like prolactin and growth hormone, both key players in the enlargement of pancreatic beta-cell mass during pregnancy.