Figure 1.

Changes in cell morphology and actin organization during epithelial scattering. Cells, with plasma membrane in gray, points of adhesion-actin connection as black spots, and actin cables as black lines, undergo a cell spreading phase that is accompanied by rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton from a circumferential, highly bundled actin organization into transcellular networks. Spread colonies of cells then undergo subsequent actomyosin-based contractility that ruptures cell-cell adhesions and allows detachment of individual cells.