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.

Gastrulation

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Protein language models are accidental taxonomists.

BMC bioinformatics·2026

Same author

The mechanical microenvironment and lung stem cell fate.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

Same author

Patterns of mitochondrial ATP predict tissue folding.

Science advances·2026

Same author

A microphysiologic human cervical model recapitulates microbial, immune, and pathogenic properties of sexually transmitted infections.

Science advances·2026

Same author

TGFβ determines epithelial tissue spacing by regulating mesenchymal condensation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Fat promotes growth and invasion in a 3D microfluidic tumor model of triple-negative breast cancer.

APL bioengineering·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Quantifying Three-Dimensional Cell Migration Within and Into Granular Hydrogel Biomaterials

Quantifying Three-Dimensional Cell Migration Within and Into Granular Hydrogel Biomaterials

Published on: March 7, 2025

Engineered tissues to quantify collective cell migration during morphogenesis.

Sriram Manivannan¹, Jason P Gleghorn, Celeste M Nelson

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|May 29, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a 3D culture model to study how kidney epithelial cells collectively migrate. This model quantifies cell movement during ureteric bud branching, a key step in kidney development.

More Related Videos

Analysis of Cell Migration within a Three-dimensional Collagen Matrix

Analysis of Cell Migration within a Three-dimensional Collagen Matrix

Published on: October 5, 2014

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 22, 2026

Quantifying Three-Dimensional Cell Migration Within and Into Granular Hydrogel Biomaterials

Quantifying Three-Dimensional Cell Migration Within and Into Granular Hydrogel Biomaterials

Published on: March 7, 2025

Analysis of Cell Migration within a Three-dimensional Collagen Matrix

Analysis of Cell Migration within a Three-dimensional Collagen Matrix

Published on: October 5, 2014

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:

Developmental biology
Cell biology
Biomedical engineering

Background:

Renal development involves intricate cellular processes.
Ureteric tree formation relies on collective cell migration during ureteric bud branching.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify collective cell migration during branching morphogenesis.
To present a novel microlithography-based 3D culture model for studying kidney development.

Main Methods:

Utilized a microlithography-based 3D culture system.
Cultured multiple identical kidney epithelial tissues.
Quantified collective cell migration during branching events.

Main Results:

Successfully modeled the collective cell migration of kidney epithelial cells.
Enabled quantitative analysis of cell movement during ureteric bud branching.
Provided insights into the mechanics of branching morphogenesis.

Conclusions:

The developed 3D culture model is effective for studying collective cell migration in renal development.
This model facilitates quantitative analysis of cellular behaviors during branching morphogenesis.
Further research can utilize this model to understand kidney development and related disorders.