Regulation of Actin Assembly Associated With Protrusion and Adhesion in Cell Migration

Regulation of Actin Assembly Associated With Protrusion and Adhesion in Cell Migration

Regulation of Actin Assembly Associated With Protrusion and Adhesion in Cell Migration

Regulation of actin assembly associated with protrusion and adhesion in cell migration.

To migrate, a cell first extends protrusions such as lamellipodia and filopodia, forms adhesions, and finally retracts its tail. The actin cytoskeleton plays a major role in this process. The first part of this review (sect. II) describes the formation of the lamellipodial and filopodial actin networks. In lamellipodia, the WASP-Arp2/3 pathways generate a branched filament array. This polarized...

Distinct phospho-forms of cortactin differentially regulate actin polymerization and focal adhesions.

Cortactin is an actin-binding protein that is overexpressed in many cancers and is a substrate for both tyrosine and serine/threonine kinases. Tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin has been observed to increase cell motility and invasion in vivo, although it has been reported to have both positive and negative effects on actin polymerization in vitro. In contrast, serine phosphorylation of cort...

Cortactin Promotes Cell Motility by Enhancing Lamellipodial Persistence

BACKGROUND Lamellipodial protrusion, which is the first step in cell movement, is driven by actin assembly and requires activity of the Arp2/3 actin-nucleating complex. However, it is unclear how actin assembly is dynamically regulated to support effective cell migration. RESULTS Cells deficient in cortactin have impaired cell migration and invasion. Kymography analyses of live-cell imaging s...