Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cell Migration01:09

Cell Migration

19.2K
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.
19.2K
Cell Migration01:19

Cell Migration

7.5K
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.
7.5K
Cell Motility through Blebbing01:16

Cell Motility through Blebbing

2.7K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
2.7K
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

5.8K
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...
5.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Syntabulin promotes heart failure by enhancing SR-mitochondria tethering and impairing mitofission.

Cardiovascular research·2026
Same author

Junctophilin-2-orchestrated calcium signalosome regulates brown adipocyte thermogenesis and energy metabolism.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

A Bi-objective Array Optimization Framework for Magnetocardiographic Source Imaging.

IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering·2026
Same author

Design optimization of antibody-ligand motifs to enhance CAR-T redirection activity against solid tumors.

Cell reports. Medicine·2026
Same author

Author Correction: Long-term, in toto live imaging of cardiomyocyte behaviour during mouse ventricle chamber formation at single-cell resolution.

Nature cell biology·2026
Same author

From Label-Free Multiphoton Imaging to Pathological Reports: A Vision-Language Breast Cancer Margin Pathological Diagnosis System.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026
Same journal

Retraction Note: NSD2 targeting reverses plasticity and drug resistance in prostate cancer.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Enhanced B cell priming induces broadly neutralizing HIV-1 apex antibodies.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Vaccination elicits HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies in primates.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Child online safety needs more than social-media bans.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Ebola preparedness must start with ecosystems and before humans show symptoms.

Nature·2026
Same journal

AI tools can speed up thinking, but evidence still comes from the lab bench.

Nature·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 13, 2026

Measuring Fast Calcium Fluxes in Cardiomyocytes
12:10

Measuring Fast Calcium Fluxes in Cardiomyocytes

Published on: November 29, 2011

15.9K

Calcium flickers steer cell migration.

Chaoliang Wei1, Xianhua Wang, Min Chen

  • 1Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. chaoliang.wei@gmail.com

Nature
|January 2, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell migration relies on patterned calcium signals, or "calcium flickers," which are polarized at the cell front. These flickers guide directional sensing and cell turning in response to growth factors.

More Related Videos

Fluorescent Calcium Imaging and Subsequent In Situ Hybridization for Neuronal Precursor Characterization in Xenopus laevis
09:07

Fluorescent Calcium Imaging and Subsequent In Situ Hybridization for Neuronal Precursor Characterization in Xenopus laevis

Published on: February 18, 2020

8.7K
Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique
11:41

Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique

Published on: April 8, 2022

5.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 13, 2026

Measuring Fast Calcium Fluxes in Cardiomyocytes
12:10

Measuring Fast Calcium Fluxes in Cardiomyocytes

Published on: November 29, 2011

15.9K
Fluorescent Calcium Imaging and Subsequent In Situ Hybridization for Neuronal Precursor Characterization in Xenopus laevis
09:07

Fluorescent Calcium Imaging and Subsequent In Situ Hybridization for Neuronal Precursor Characterization in Xenopus laevis

Published on: February 18, 2020

8.7K
Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique
11:41

Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique

Published on: April 8, 2022

5.3K

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Directional cell movement is crucial for development, tissue repair, and regeneration.
  • Calcium ions play a multifaceted role in cell migration, influencing sensing, cytoskeletal dynamics, and adhesion.
  • Understanding the spatial and temporal regulation of calcium signaling is key to deciphering cell migration mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To visualize and characterize the spatiotemporal patterns of high-calcium microdomains ('calcium flickers') in migrating human embryonic lung fibroblasts.
  • To investigate the regulatory mechanisms controlling calcium flicker activity, specifically their coupling to membrane tension and chemoattractant signaling.
  • To determine how organized calcium flicker activity influences cell directionality and response to external gradients.

Main Methods:

  • Live-cell imaging to visualize calcium microdomains (flickers) in migrating fibroblasts.
  • Pharmacological and genetic manipulation to probe the roles of TRPM7 and type 2 inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors.
  • Application of chemoattractant gradients (platelet-derived growth factor) to assess directional responses.

Main Results:

  • High-calcium microdomains ('calcium flickers') were visualized and shown to be actively patterned in migrating fibroblasts.
  • Calcium flicker activity was found to be coupled to both membrane tension via TRPM7 channels and chemoattractant signaling via IP3Rs.
  • Calcium flickers exhibited a front-to-rear polarization (4:1) opposite to the global calcium gradient and were crucial for directed cell turning in response to external gradients.

Conclusions:

  • The spatiotemporal organization of calcium microdomains is a critical determinant of cell migration directionality.
  • Calcium flickers, regulated by membrane tension and signaling pathways, orchestrate complex cellular behaviors like directed movement and turning.
  • This study reveals a novel mechanism by which localized calcium dynamics control fundamental cell behaviors essential for tissue processes.