ABSTRACT
Cell adhesion has been attracting the attention of physicists and materials scientists for the last fifteen years. The adhesion of cells to fibrous extracellular matrices, such as those found in the connective tissue in the dermis, is characterized by discrete, micrometer-sized domains of adhesion proteins (see Fig. 1). For biologists, delineating and understanding the rich set of mechanisms involved in cell adhesion is crucial. Many important processes in cells and their cycles are indeed triggered by adhesion. For instance, cells replicate their DNA, divide or differentiate only when they adhere [1]. A healthy (not cancerous) cell that cannot adhere commits suicide within a short time. This self-regulatory mechanism prevents sick or imperfect cells from invading and disrupting the entire organism. Adhesion is thus a key player in
the control of cell proliferation and differentiation, and in the response of the cell to soluble ligands such as hormones [2].
