Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Plotnikov SV
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3821979 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Plotnikov Sergey V SV Pasapera Ana M AM Sabass Benedikt B Waterman Clare M CM
Cell 20121201 7
Cell migration toward areas of higher extracellular matrix (ECM) rigidity via a process called "durotaxis" is thought to contribute to development, immune response, and cancer metastasis. To understand how cells sample ECM rigidity to guide durotaxis, we characterized cell-generated forces on the nanoscale within single mature integrin-based focal adhesions (FAs). We found that individual FAs act autonomously, exhibiting either stable or dynamically fluctuating ("tugging") traction. We show that ...[more]