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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.

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.

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...

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...

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue.
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Study of Cell Migration in Microfabricated Channels

Study of Cell Migration in Microfabricated Channels

Published on: February 21, 2014

How do cells make decisions: engineering micro- and nanoenvironments for cell migration.

Siti Hawa Ngalim¹, Astrid Magenau, Guillaume Le Saux

¹Centre for Vascular Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052 NSW, Australia.

Journal of Oncology

|July 24, 2010

Summary

Cancer cell migration, crucial for metastasis, is driven by extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions and signaling pathways. New micro-engineered environments help decipher how cells decide to move and how cancer influences this process.

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Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Study of Cell Migration in Microfabricated Channels

Study of Cell Migration in Microfabricated Channels

Published on: February 21, 2014

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

Sandwich-like Microenvironments to Harness Cell/Material Interactions

Sandwich-like Microenvironments to Harness Cell/Material Interactions

Published on: August 4, 2015

Area of Science:

Cellular biology
Cancer research
Biotechnology

Background:

Cell migration is fundamental to cancer metastasis.
It involves complex processes: cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM), cytoskeletal force generation, and cell detachment.
Intracellular signaling pathways, triggered by ECM and soluble cues, are essential for cell migration, but how conflicting signals are managed remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore how microfabrication, microfluidics, and nanotechnology can engineer micro/nano cellular environments.
To investigate how controlling adhesive and soluble cues influences cell motility and migration direction.
To understand the impact of oncogenic transformations on cell migration decision-making.

Main Methods:

Utilizing advances in microfabrication, microfluidics, and nanotechnology.
Engineering micro- and nanoscaled cellular environments.
Controlling both adhesive and soluble cues to mimic in vivo conditions.

Main Results:

The study proposes novel methods to engineer cellular microenvironments.
These engineered environments allow for precise control over external cellular stimuli.
This control is key to deciphering the mechanisms of cell migration and cancer metastasis.

Conclusions:

Engineered micro/nano environments offer powerful tools to study cell migration.
Understanding signal hierarchies is crucial for deciphering cell motility and cancer progression.
This research opens new avenues for investigating oncogenic transformations' role in cell migration.