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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Plithotaxis and emergent dynamics in collective cellular migration.

Xavier Trepat¹, Jeffrey J Fredberg

¹Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Ciber Enfermedades Respiratorias, University of Barcelona, Spain. xtrepat@ub.edu

Trends in Cell Biology

|July 26, 2011

Summary

Collective cell migration relies on cell-exerted forces. Unexpected force heterogeneity, not smooth variation, drives this movement, revealing a new guidance mechanism called plithotaxis.

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Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

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Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biophysics
Mechanobiology

Background:

Cohesive monolayer cell sheets require cells to exert forces on both the extracellular matrix and neighboring cells.
Previous understanding lacked detailed maps of these distinct force components.

Purpose of the Study:

To create the first comprehensive maps of physical force components during collective cell migration.
To investigate the mechanisms governing collective cell guidance in epithelial and endothelial cell sheets.

Main Methods:

Mapping of distinct physical force components within migrating cell monolayers.
Analysis of force distribution in space and time.

Main Results:

Revealed unexpected heterogeneity in physical force distribution, both spatially and temporally.
Demonstrated that this heterogeneity emerges spontaneously, propagates over long distances, and involves multiple cells.
Showed that established mechanisms like chemotaxis, durotaxis, and haptotaxis are insufficient to explain the observed force landscape.

Conclusions:

Collective cell migration is governed by an emergent mechanism termed plithotaxis.
Plithotaxis represents an innately collective cell guidance mechanism distinct from known taxis.
The rugged force landscape and plithotaxis are crucial for guiding collective cell migration.