ABSTRACT
Cell migration plays a critical role in many biological processes, including embryonic development, wound healing, and tumor metastasis. Cell migration through extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins is generally mediated by cell surface integrin receptors. In addition to serving as ECM adhesion receptors, integrins transduce a variety of biochemical signals across the plasma membrane. FAK is clearly an important mediator of integrin signaling, but its roles in specific cellular functions have only recently begun to be identified. This chapter describes methods for the stable expression of FAK in CHO cells, analysis of motility of transfected cell clones, and biochemical analysis of relevant proteins. The use of a chemotaxis chamber to analyze cell motility provides many advantages over other motility assays.
