Invadopodia

Invadopodia or invasive feet are protrusions in the cell membrane of some cells that are rich in actin and extend into the extracellular matrix (ECM). [cite journal |author=Linder S |title=The matrix corroded: podosomes and invadopodia in extracellular matrix degradation |journal=Trends Cell Biol. |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=107–17 |year=2007 |month=March |pmid=17275303 |doi=10.1016/j.tcb.2007.01.002] They are associated with high levels of proteolysis and cell signaling and are frequently seen in metastatic cancer cells that are invading surrounding tissues. [cite journal |author=Weaver AM |title=Invadopodia: specialized cell structures for cancer invasion |journal=Clin. Exp. Metastasis |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=97–105 |year=2006 |pmid=16830222 |doi=10.1007/s10585-006-9014-1] These structures are very similar to the podosomes formed by normal cells that need to cross tissue barriers, such as macrophages and monocytes, or cells such as osteoclasts that remodel tissue. However, podosomes are short-lived and do not cause major degradation of the ECM. [cite journal |author=Ayala I, Baldassarre M, Caldieri G, Buccione R |title=Invadopodia: a guided tour |journal=Eur. J. Cell Biol. |volume=85 |issue=3-4 |pages=159–64 |year=2006 |month=April |pmid=16546558 |doi=10.1016/j.ejcb.2005.09.005]

ee also

*Lamellipodia

References

External links

* [http://topics.scirus.com/Podosomes_and_Invadopodia.html Podosomes and Invadopodia] at Scirus Topic Pages