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Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration

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Evaluation of the Interplay Between the Complement Protein C1q and Hyaluronic Acid in Promoting Cell Adhesion
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Complement fragment C3a controls mutual cell attraction during collective cell migration.

Carlos Carmona-Fontaine1, Eric Theveneau, Apostolia Tzekou

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

Developmental Cell
|November 29, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mutual cell attraction, or coattraction, maintains cohesive cell clusters during collective migration. This process, involving complement fragment C3a, is essential for coordinated cell movement and development.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Collective cell migration is vital for development and disease.
  • Mechanisms of collective cell coordination remain poorly understood.
  • Mesenchymal cell dispersal can be driven by contact inhibition and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms maintaining cohesive collective cell migration.
  • To identify molecular players involved in cell-cell coordination.
  • To explore the role of complement system in cell migration during development.

Main Methods:

  • Live imaging of migrating mesenchymal and neural crest cells.
  • Genetic manipulation to disrupt complement signaling (C3a/C3aR).
  • Analysis of cell cluster cohesion and migratory coordination.

Main Results:

  • Mutual cell-cell attraction (coattraction) is essential for maintaining cohesive migrating cell clusters.
  • Coattraction counterbalances cell dispersal mechanisms.
  • Neural crest cell coattraction is mediated by complement fragment C3a and its receptor C3aR.
  • Loss of coattraction impairs collective cell migration and coordination.

Conclusions:

  • Coattraction is a key mechanism for maintaining collective cell migration.
  • Complement proteins play an unexpected role in vertebrate development via cell migration.
  • Coattraction and contact inhibition cooperate for self-organization of cell collectives.