Required for muscle development probably through the regulation of the actin-myosin cytoskeleton (PubMed:8106547, PubMed:12915588). Component of an integrin containing attachment complex, which is required for muscle maintenance (PubMed:22253611). During the formation of neuromuscular junctions at the larval stage, negatively regulates membrane protrusion from body wall muscles, probably through lamins such as epi-1, lam-2 and unc-52 (PubMed:16495308). Required for distal tip cell migration and dorsal pathfinding (PubMed:17606640). Required for egg-laying (PubMed:12915588). May play a role in cell motility and cell-cell interactions (By similarity). Plays a role in vulval development (PubMed:28135265). Probably within the alpha pat-2/beta pat-3 integrin receptor complex, plays a role in the negative regulation of let-23 signaling and vulval induction. This is probably partly by restricting the mobility of the let-23 receptor on the plasma membrane of vulval cells which thereby attenuates let-23 signaling (PubMed:28135265). Heterodimer of an alpha and a beta subunit (Probable). Interacts with beta subunit pat-3 (Probable). Interacts with dep-1 (PubMed:28135265). Component of an integrin containing attachment complex, composed of at least pat-2, pat-3, pat-4, pat-6, unc-52, unc-97 and unc-112 (PubMed:22253611). Expressed in body-wall muscle cells, distal tip cells, and vulval tissue. Up-regulated during L3 developmental stage in distal tip cells. Severe paralysis at the 1-fold stage of embryonic development followed by an arrest in elongation at 2-fold stage (PubMed:8106547). Loss of myosin and actin organization in embryonic body wall muscles and loss of muscle cell polarization (PubMed:8106547). RNAi-mediated knockdown in post-hatching animals causes paralysis associated with severe disorganization of body wall muscle actin filaments and defects in egg-laying associated with embryonic hatching within the mother (the bag of worms phenotype) (PubMed:12915588). Few surviving adults, are uncoordinated with abnormal body size and shape and have defects in distal tip cells (DTC) migration resulting in abnormal gonad formation (PubMed:17606640). RNAi-mediated knockdown in L4 larval stage, causes ectopic membrane extensions from body wall muscles (PubMed:16495308). RNAi-mediated knockdown results in impaired mobility, mitochondrial fragmentation and disrupted integrin attachment complexes in muscle (PubMed:22253611). This leads to degradation of muscle proteins in the cytosol, myofibrillar defects and disruption of sarcomere organization (PubMed:22253611). RNAi-mediated knockdown in vulval precursor cells in a let-60 gain of function mutant background results in increased vulval induction and an adjacent primary fate (Apf) phenotype whereby secondary vulval precursor cells transform into primary-like vulval cells (PubMed:28135265). Belongs to the integrin alpha chain family.