Marching at the front and dragging behind: differential alphaVbeta3-integrin turnover regulates focal adhesion behavior.

ABSTRACT: Integrins are cell-substrate adhesion molecules that provide the essential link between the actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix during cell migration. We have analyzed alphaVbeta3-integrin dynamics in migrating cells using a green fluorescent protein-tagged beta3-integrin chain. At the cell front, adhesion sites containing alphaVbeta3-integrin remain stationary, whereas at the rear of the cell they slide inward. The integrin fluorescence intensity within these different focal adhesions, and hence the relative integrin density, is directly related to their mobility. Integrin density is as much as threefold higher in sliding compared with stationary focal adhesions. High intracellular tension under the control of RhoA induced the formation of high-density contacts. Low-density ad

SUBMITTER: Ballestrem C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2199321 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature