Turnover of Focal Adhesions and Cancer Cell Migration

Figure 2

The formation and turnover of FAs during cell migration. The formation and turnover of FAs is crucial for cell adhesion to the ECM. A higher ratio of formation relative to turnover leads to stable adhesion (i). On the other hand, a higher ratio of turnover relative to formation leads to unstable adhesion (ii). During cell migration, both rapid formation and turnover of FAs are required at the leading edge of cell migration, whereas turnover of FAs is predominant at the rear (iii).