When invading the tissue, malignant tumour cells (i.e. cancer cells) need to detach from
neighbouring cells, degrade the basement membrane, and migrate through the extracellular
matrix. These processes require loss of cell-cell adhesion and enhancement of cell-matrix
adhesion. In this paper we present a mathematical model of an intracellular pathway for
the interactions between a cancer cell and the extracellular matrix. Cancer cells use
similar mechanisms as with normal cells for their interactions with the extracellular
matrix. We develop a model of cell-matrix adhesion that accounts for reactions between the
cell surface receptor integrins, the matrix glycoprotein fibronectin, and the actin
filaments in the cytoskeleton. Each represents components for an intermediate compartment,
the extracellular compartment, and the intracellular compartment, respectively. Binding of
fibronectin with integrins triggers a clustering of protein complexes, which then
activates and phosphorylates regulatory proteins that are involved in actin reorganisation
causing actin polymerization and stress fibre assembly. Rearrangement of actin filaments
with integrin/fibronectin complexes near adhesion sites and interaction with fibrillar
fibronectin produces the force necessary for cell migration, accounting for cell-matrix
adhesion.