Tumour cells can harbour invadopodia (actin-rich protrusions that degrade extracellular matrix components to drive cell invasion). Artym et al. devised a new system for studying invadopodia formation, which is based on high-density fibrillar collagen (HDFC) and mimics in vivo cancer environments, and found that HDFC induces the formation of ECM-degrading invadopodia in tumour cells. Mechanistically, α2β1 integrin was required for HDFC-induced invadopodia formation in breast carcinoma cells although, surprisingly, no changes in gene or protein expression were observed. However, the formation of HDFC-induced invadopodia required a different integrin signalling network to that of invadopodia induced by gelatin (an established system for studying them). Notably, phosphorylation of the integrin activator kindlin 2 as well as downstream signalling were crucial for the formation of invadopodia in cells grown on HDFC but not gelatin. Thus, HDFC activates kindlin 2 to induce invadopodia formation.
References
Artym, V. V. et al. Dense fibrillar collagen is a potent inducer of invadopodia via a specific signaling network. J. Cell Biol. 208, 331–350 (2015)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wrighton, K. Collagen directs invadopodia. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 16, 126 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3964
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3964