ig-h3 is a TGF--induced matrix protein known to mediate the adhesion of several cell types. In this study, we found that all four of the fas-1 domains in ig-h3 mediate MRC-5 fibroblast adhesion and that this was specifically inhibited by a function-blocking monoclonal antibody specific for the ␣v5 integrin. Using deletion mutants of the fourth fas-1 domain revealed the MRC-5 cell adhesion motif (denoted the YH motif) is located in amino acids 548 -614. Experiments with substitution mutants showed that tyrosine 571, histidine 572, and their flanking leucine and isoleucine amino acids, which are all highly conserved in many fas-1 domains, are essential for mediating MRC-5 cell adhesion. A synthetic 18-amino acid peptide encompassing these conserved amino acids could effectively block MRC-5 cell adhesion to ig-h3. Using HEK293 cells stably transfected with the 5 integrin cDNA, we confirmed that the ␣v5 integrin is a functional receptor for the YH motif. In conclusion, we have identified a new ␣v5 integrininteracting motif that is highly conserved in the fas-1 domains of many proteins. This suggests that fas-1 domain-containing proteins may perform their biological functions by interacting with integrins. ig-h3 is an extracellular matrix protein whose expression in several cell types, including fibroblasts, is strongly induced by TGF-.1 The gene encoding ig-h3 was first identified by Skonier et al. (1), who isolated it by screening a cDNA library made from a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) that had been treated with TGF-. The ig-h3 protein comprises 683 amino acids containing four homologous internal repeat domains. These domains are homologous to similar motifs in the Drosophila protein fasciclin-I and thus are denoted fas-1 domains. The fas-1 domain has highly conserved sequences found in secretory and membrane proteins of several species, including mammals, insects, sea urchins, plants, yeast, and bacteria (2).Mutations in ig-h3 have been shown to be responsible for 5q31-linked human autosomal dominant corneal dystrophies. It has a fibrillar structure and interacts with several extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin and collagen (3). In addition, ig-h3 has been reported to be involved in cell growth and differentiation, wound healing, and cell adhesion (4 -9). ig-h3 mediates the adhesion of many different cell types, including corneal epithelial cells, chondrocytes, and fibroblasts (8 -10). We reported previously that ig-h3 mediates corneal epithelial cell adhesion by binding to ␣31 integrin. Two motifs interacting with the ␣31 integrin were located within the second and the fourth fas-1 domains of ig-h3. Interestingly, however, we found that these two motifs are not involved in ig-h3-mediated fibroblastic cell adhesion. Furthermore, all four fas-1 domains of ig-h3 mediate fibroblastic cell adhesion, whereas corneal epithelial cell adhesion is supported by just the second and the fourth fas-1 domains. This suggests that ig-h3 has additional motifs that can mediate the ...