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Related Concept Videos

Cell Migration01:19

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.
Cell Migration01:09

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.
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

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...
Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration01:21

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...
Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins01:21

Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
10:53

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Collective cell migration in development.

Cornelis J Weijer1

  • 1Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Wellcome Trust Biocentre, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK. c.j.weijer@dundee.ac.uk

Journal of Cell Science
|September 4, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Collective cell migration, crucial for development, involves coordinated cell movements guided by signaling gradients and cell-cell interactions. Understanding these mechanisms is key to developmental biology research.

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Collective cell migration is fundamental to organism development.
  • It encompasses mesenchymal and epithelial cell migration modes.
  • Migration is regulated by signaling gradients and cell-contact interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review collective cell migration studies in model organisms.
  • To discuss molecular mechanisms coordinating collective cell migration.
  • To highlight leader cell roles in sensing external signals.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on collective cell migration.
  • Analysis of studies across various model organisms.
  • Synthesis of findings on signaling gradients and cell-contact mediation.

Main Results:

  • Collective migration involves distinct mesenchymal and epithelial behaviors.
  • External gradients and cell-cell interactions dictate migration patterns.
  • Leader cells often initiate migration by sensing signals, with followers adhering via cell contacts.

Conclusions:

  • Collective cell migration is a complex process involving multiple regulatory layers.
  • Understanding leader-follower dynamics is crucial for developmental processes.
  • Further research into molecular coordination mechanisms is warranted.