Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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.

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Macroscopic fluctuation theory of interacting Brownian particles.

Physical review. E·2026

Same author

Advancing mechanobiology from single molecules to complex cellular systems.

Nature nanotechnology·2026

Same author

Fibronectin matrix remodelling modulates the active nematic dynamics of cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Nature materials·2026

Same author

Dual human lung models reveal compartment-specific activity of anti-tuberculosis drugs and host-directed therapies.

Microbiology spectrum·2026

Same author

Stochastic Pairwise Forces Enhance Tracer Diffusion in Nonmotile Active Matter.

Physical review letters·2026

Same author

Number of Local Minima in Discrete-Time Fractional Brownian Motion.

Physical review letters·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures

Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures

Published on: April 21, 2011

Spontaneous contractility-mediated cortical flow generates cell migration in three-dimensional environments.

Rhoda J Hawkins¹, Renaud Poincloux, Olivier Bénichou

¹UMR 7600, Université Pierre et Marie Curie/CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Paris, France. rhoda.hawkins@physics.org

Biophysical Journal

|September 6, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We developed a model explaining cell motility via actomyosin contraction. This model reveals how cortical instabilities drive cell migration in 3D environments, matching experimental tumor cell data.

More Related Videos

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

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures

Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures

Published on: April 21, 2011

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

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biophysics
Theoretical biology

Background:

Cell motility is crucial for development and disease.
Understanding the physical mechanisms driving cell migration in 3D is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a biophysical model of cell motility driven by actomyosin contractility.
To investigate the role of cortical dynamics and myosin transport in cell migration.

Main Methods:

Analytical modeling of actomyosin cortex dynamics.
Incorporation of myosin transport and regulation of contractility.
Comparison of theoretical predictions with experimental data of tumor cell migration.

Main Results:

Identified dynamical instabilities in the cell cortex.
Demonstrated that these instabilities generate steady-state cortical flows.
Showed that cortical flows can induce cell migration in 3D environments.

Conclusions:

Actomyosin contraction and cortical instabilities provide a mechanism for cell migration in 3D.
Myosin transport regulation is critical for this motility mechanism.
The proposed model may explain general modes of cell migration in complex environments.