What is the role of invadopodia in EMT?
In a process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), besides changing their adhesive repertoire, cancer cells employ developmental processes to gain migratory and invasive properties that involve a dramatic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and the concomitant formation of membrane protrusions required for invasive growth. An important type of such membrane protrusions are the invadopodia, which have been increasingly recognized as important drivers of local invasion in metastasis. They are basally-localized, actin-rich structures that concentrate protease activity to areas of the cell in contact with the extracellular matrix.