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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...

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

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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...

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

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Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...

Cell Migration

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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.

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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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy

Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy

Published on: February 17, 2022

Distribution of traction forces associated with shape changes during amoeboid cell migration.

B Alonso-Latorre¹, R Meili, E Bastounis

¹Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0411, USA.

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference

|December 8, 2009

Summary

Cell motility involves cyclic shape changes. Myosin II

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Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy

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Published on: February 17, 2022

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Fabrication and Implementation of a Reference-Free Traction Force Microscopy Platform

Fabrication and Implementation of a Reference-Free Traction Force Microscopy Platform

Published on: October 6, 2019

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Amoeboid motility is a fundamental biological process driven by cyclic shape changes.
Understanding the relationship between cell deformation and traction forces is crucial for cell migration studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze dominant modes of shape change during cell motility.
To associate these shape changes with traction forces in Dictyostelium cells.
To investigate the role of Myosin II activity in the motility cycle.

Main Methods:

Utilized Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on time-lapse measurements of cell shape and traction forces.
Compared wild-type (wt) Dictyostelium cells with Myosin II heavy chain null (mhcA-) and essential light chain null (mlcE-) mutants.

Main Results:

Identified a few dominant modes (four accounting for 75% variance) of cell shape changes, including dilation/elongation, bending, and bulging.
Observed similar shape change modes across wt, mlcE-, and mhcA- cells, but at a slower pace in Myosin II mutants.
Found that sideways protrusion/retraction, linked to lateral traction force asymmetry, was less significant in mhcA- cells.

Conclusions:

The mechanical cycle of cell shape and traction stresses is conserved across different Myosin II activities.
Loss of myosin function slows down the motility cycle, likely due to altered spatial organization of traction stresses.