Previous work with cultured primary cells, from our group and from other laboratories, has shown that signals from extracellular matrix, transduced by integrins, play critical roles in regulating gene expression, tissue-specific differentiation, and survival of primary osteoblasts and fibroblasts. This summary will focus on our most recent work, dealing with the role of cell-extracellular matrix interactions and focal adhesion kinase in regulating cell survival in osteoblasts and fibroblasts, and the role of beta1 integrins in tissue organization and remodeling in bone.