The stages of cell adhesion and induction of the intermediate adhesive state by matricellular proteins. During the process of adhesion, a cell undergoes attachment, spreading, and the formation of stress fibers and focal adhesions. With each stage the adhesive strength of the cell increases. We define de-adhesion as the transition from strong adherence to intermediate adherence, as characterized by the disassembly of stress fibers and focal adhesions in a cell that nevertheless maintains a spread, extended morphology and integrin clustering. TSP1, tenascin-C, and SPARC induce the intermediate adhesive state, as shown by the red arrows. The significance of each adhesive state for cell behavior is indicated beneath the cells. The weak adhesive state would be consistent with cells undergoing apoptosis during remodeling or those undergoing cytokinesis. The strong adhesive state is characteristic of a differentiated, quiescent cell, whereas cells in the intermediate adhesive state would include those involved in responding to injury during wound healing or in tissue remodeling during morphogenesis.