Persistent cell motility requires the coordination of activities at the leading edge and the tail of a cell. Evidence for this coordination is provided by the analysis of gain and loss of contact area of a cell moving on a substrate surface. RICM has also been of invaluable help in analysing the deficiencies in a talin-null mutant of D. discoideum. Nevertheless, the talin-null cells were capable of moving with a minimum of adhesiveness on a substrate surface. Dictyostelium cell turning into a gradient of the chemoattractant cAMP released from a micropipette.
Black zones indicate areas with close contact to the substrate surface.