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Related Concept Videos

Activation of Integrins01:15

Activation of Integrins

Integrins bind ligands and transmit information from outside the cell to inside or vice-versa through an "outside-in signaling" or "inside-out signaling."
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding events provide an effective stimulus.
Integrins01:10

Integrins

Animal and protozoan cells do not have cell walls to help maintain shape and provide structural stability. Instead, these eukaryotic cells secrete a sticky mass of carbohydrates and proteins into the spaces between adjacent cells. This network of proteins and molecules is called an extracellular matrix or ECM.
Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions01:17

Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions

Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration01:18

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
Myosin II  is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction. It is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

In vitro Cell Migration and Invasion Assays
09:55

In vitro Cell Migration and Invasion Assays

Published on: June 1, 2014

Integrins in cell migration--the actin connection.

Miguel Vicente-Manzanares1, Colin Kiwon Choi, Alan Rick Horwitz

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. mvicente@virginia.edu

Journal of Cell Science
|January 2, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Integrins and actin linkage provides cell migration traction. This connection is crucial for cell adhesion organization, but quantitative studies reveal inefficiencies in the linkage.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Integrins and actin form a physical linkage essential for cell migration.
  • This linkage is critical for regulating cell adhesion organization and development.
  • Actin polymerization and cross-linking are key to adhesion assembly and maturation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of the integrin-actin linkage in cell migration.
  • To investigate the regulation of adhesion assembly and organization.
  • To identify inefficiencies in the integrin-actin linkage.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent quantitative studies on cell migration.
  • Analysis of actin polymerization and cross-linking dynamics.
  • Examination of signaling pathways regulating actin organization.

Main Results:

  • The integrin-actin linkage provides traction for cell migration.
  • Actin dynamics are essential for adhesion assembly, maturation, and disassembly.
  • Quantitative studies reveal slippage points, indicating linkage inefficiencies.
  • Signaling pathways regulate adhesion organization via actin control.

Conclusions:

  • The integrin-actin linkage is fundamental to cell migration and adhesion dynamics.
  • Understanding linkage regulation is key to controlling cell adhesion and migration.
  • Further research into linkage inefficiencies may reveal new therapeutic targets.