Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
09:17
A Simple Migration/Invasion Workflow Using an Automated Live-cell Imager
Published on: February 2, 2019
[Types of tumor cells movement]
Agnieszka Popow-Woźniak1, Dorota Nowak, Maria Malicka-Błaszkiewicz
1Zakład Patologii Komórki, Wydział Biotechnologii, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, Wrocław. apopow@ibmb.uni.wroc.pl
Postepy Biochemii
|October 15, 2009
Summary
Tumor cells exhibit adaptive plasticity, migrating individually via mesenchymal or amoeboid pathways, or collectively. Understanding these distinct cell migration types and their regulatory signaling pathways is crucial for cancer therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Context:
- Cancer therapy faces challenges due to tumor cell adaptability and plasticity.
- Tumor cell behavior changes are linked to altered protein expression profiles.
- Three primary modes of tumor cell migration exist: mesenchymal, amoeboid, and collective.
Purpose:
- To review and describe distinct tumor cell locomotion types.
- To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms governing these migration pathways.
- To highlight differences in cell protrusions and signaling pathways.
Summary:
- Mesenchymal migration involves individual cells with elongated shapes, lamellipodia, and ECM adhesion, regulated by Cdc42 kinase.
- Amoeboid migration features individual cells with blebbing pseudopods, controlled by the Rho/ROCK signaling cascade.
- Collective migration shares characteristics with mesenchymal movement but involves groups of cells.
Impact:
- Provides a comprehensive overview of tumor cell migration mechanisms.
- Enhances understanding of cellular plasticity in cancer progression.
- Offers insights for developing targeted cancer therapies by addressing cell motility.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:19Cell 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.
01:09Cell 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.
02:30Metastasis
Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
01:21Chemotaxis 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...
01:35Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However, invadopodia can...
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...