Blebs lead the way: how to migrate without lamellipodia.

Abstract

Blebs are spherical membrane protrusions that are produced by contractions of the actomyosin cortex. Blebs are often considered to be a hallmark of apoptosis; however, blebs are also frequently observed during cytokinesis and during migration in three-dimensional cultures and in vivo. For tumour cells and a number of embryonic cells, blebbing migration seems to be a common alternative to the more extensively studied lamellipodium-based motility. We argue that blebs should be promoted to a more prominent place in the world of cellular protrusions.

• Authors: Guillaume Charras, Ewa Paluch
• Journal: Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology (Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol) Vol. 9 Issue 9 Pg. 730-6 (Sep 2008) ISSN: 1471-0080 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 18628785 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Proteins

Topics

• Animals
• Cell Movement
• Proteins (metabolism)
• Pseudopodia (metabolism)