Say What? Animals

Invadopodia

in-vayd-uh-POH-dee-uh n.

STEPPING OUT  Invadopodia are footlike projections (yellow, on mouse cell) that bud from cancer cells and may help the cancer to invade neighboring tissues.

P.S. Smith-Pearson et al/J. Biol. Chem. 2010

By Marla Broadfoot

- More than 2 years ago

Tiny footlike protrusions that enable a cell to invade neighboring tissues. Scientists first discovered these “invasive feet” popping up on highly metastatic cancer cells grown in the laboratory (shown, yellow).