title: A new link between the retrograde actin flow and focal adhesions.
abstract: The retrograde actin flow, continuous centripetal movement of the cell peripheral actin networks, is widely observed in adherent cells. The retrograde flow is believed to facilitate cell migration when linked to cell adhesion molecules. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge regarding the functional relationship between the retrograde actin flow and focal adhesions (FAs). We also introduce our recent study in which single-molecule speckle (SiMS) microscopy dissected the complex interactions between FAs and the local actin flow. FAs do not simply impede the actin flow, but actively attract and remodel the local actin network. Our findings provide a new insight into the mechanisms for protrusion and traction force generation at the cell leading edge. Furthermore, we discuss possible roles of the actin flow-FA interaction based on the accumulated knowledge and our SiMS study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan yamashiro.sawako.5c@kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Sawako
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement; D022001:Focal Adhesions / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000199:Actins
keywords: actin; cell migration; focal adhesion; retrograde flow; single-molecule speckle microscopy