To investigate the possible roles of the Ras/Rho family members in the inside-out signals to activate integrins, we examined the ability of Ras/Rho small GTPases to stimulate avidity of ␣ 5  1 (VLA-5) to fibronectin in bone marrow-derived mast cells. We found that both HaRas Val-12 activated VLA-5 through PI 3-kinase p110␦. The mutational effects of the R-Ras effector loop region on adhesion were not correlated with PI 3-kinase activities, consistent with our contention that R-Ras has a distinct pathway to modulate avidity of VLA-5.Adhesion mediated by integrins controls cell migration and localization. Adhesive interactions through integrins are modulated by adhesiveness (avidity) as well as expressions of integrins (1, 2). Although both types of regulations are important, avidity modulation of integrins in particular plays a critical role in leukocyte migration and localization during inflammatory responses (3). Several external stimuli were reported to modulate avidity of integrins without changes of integrin expressions, such as antigen, chemokines, and cytokines (3-5). A rapid change of avidity of integrins occurs within minutes and is triggered by intracellular signaling pathways, which are referred to as inside-out signals (6).Avidity modulation of integrins is regulated by increasing affinity to ligands, or by spatial redistribution of integrins on cell surface, which increases the number of integrins on the contact site (7-10). Which types of avidity regulations are utilized largely depends on stimuli that induce adhesion. PMA 1 enhanced adhesion without detectable change in ligand-binding affinity of integrins (11-13). Recent studies have shown that an increase in lateral diffusion and clustering of integrins by PMA or cytochalasin D at low doses facilitates adhesion (10,14), suggesting that the adhesion is mediated by low affinity, but multivalent bindings of integrins. On the other hand, affinity modulation in integrins detected with soluble ligands or antibodies recognizing the high affinity state was reported for ␣ 4  1 , ␣ 5  1 , ␣ L  2 , and ␣ IIb  3 integrins in cells stimulated with activating antibodies, manganese ions, or cross-linking of the T cell receptor (12,13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). We previously demonstrated that PMA-stimulated mast cells adhered to fibronectin without accompanying affinity modulation of VLA-5, while Fc⑀RI crosslinked mast cells adhered to fibronectin by the high affinity state of VLA-5. Steel factor-induced adhesion was considered to be brought by both mechanisms (20). Changes in the affinity state of integrins influenced cell migratory speeds on substrates (21). However, the physiological significance of two modes of avidity modulation has not yet been demonstrated clearly.The Ras/Rho family of small GTPases regulates the actin cytoskeleton and contributes to the formation of membrane ruffling and focal adhesion (22,23). Cytoskeletal reorganization subsequent to attachment to substrate leads to marked cell shape changes and strengthens adhesive interactions. Sever...