Requirement for Arf6 in cell adhesion, migration, and cancer cell invasion

Cell movements are essential to life, in a variety of aspects including development, repair and defence processes. Cell migration is a multifactorial process in which a number of distinct events occur simultaneously. Besides its strong appeal towards the basic sciences, the molecular mechanisms of cell migration have long been major targets of oncology, including clinical studies aiming for cancer therapy and prevention. For the further advancement of these studies, as well as for the benefit of its clinical applications, it is important to understand the fundamental machinery and mechanisms regulating cell adhesion and motility. Here the possible roles of a small GTP-binding protein, Arf6, in epithelial cell adhesion and migration, and also in cancer cell invasion, are discussed.