THY1 and melanoma: An example of such heterophilic interactions is that mediated by the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored adhesion protein Thy-1 (expressed on many cells including neurons, fibroblasts, thymocytes and cancer cells) with integrins, such as αVβ3 on astrocyte and α5β1 on human melanoma cells (Herrera-Molina et al., 2013).