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Cell Migration

Cell Migration

Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

Cell Migration

Cell Migration

Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
Myosin II is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction. It is...

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.

Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration

Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration

Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon towards...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration

Published on: April 3, 2015

Anomalous dynamics of cell migration.

Peter Dieterich¹, Rainer Klages, Roland Preuss

¹Institut für Physiologie, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Fetscherstrasse 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany. peter.dieterich@tu-dresden.de

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|January 10, 2008

Summary

Cell migration exhibits anomalous dynamics, deviating from simple Brownian motion. This study quanties cell movement using a fractional Klein-Kramers equation, revealing key factors influencing cell migration.

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Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration

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Published on: April 3, 2015

Quantitative Analysis of Random Migration of Cells Using Time-lapse Video Microscopy

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Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biophysics
Dynamical processes

Background:

Cell movement is crucial for development and disease, like tumor metastasis.
Migrating cell paths initially resemble Brownian motion but are active biological processes.
Normal Brownian motion characterization is insufficient for active cell migration.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally investigate the dynamics of cell migration.
To determine if cell migration follows anomalous dynamics.
To develop a quantitative model for classifying cell migration.

Main Methods:

Analysis of trajectories from wild-type and mutated epithelial cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney).
Experimental measurement of mean squared displacement and spatial probability distributions.
Application of a fractional Klein-Kramers equation for data interpretation.

Main Results:

Cell migration demonstrates anomalous dynamics, characterized by superdiffusive mean squared displacement.
Non-Gaussian spatial probability distributions were observed.
Power-law decays in velocity autocorrelations indicate deviations from Brownian motion.
A fractional Klein-Kramers equation successfully explained the experimental results.

Conclusions:

Cell migration dynamics are anomalous, not normal Brownian motion.
The fractional Klein-Kramers equation provides a quantitative framework for cell migration analysis.
This approach elucidates the contribution of individual cellular components to migration behavior.