Figure 1.

Cancer cells exploit macropinocytosis to fulfill diverse functions. (1) Cancer cells can utilize membrane ruffles, a hallmark of macropinocytosis, to establish mobility and facilitate both anchorage independence and metastasis. (2) Cancer cells internalize metabolic nutrients, surface receptors, and transcription activators. (3) Receptors involved in activating macropinocytosis are recycled back to the plasma membrane. (4) Non-recycled protein cargo and receptors are degraded through the lysosomal network or in some instances, (5) certain receptors such as ErbB3 can be targeted for nuclear import to activate transcription.