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Updated: May 15, 2026

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
Published on: October 13, 2019
Collective cell migration of epithelial and mesenchymal cells
Eric Theveneau1, Roberto Mayor
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK.
None:
Directional cell migration is required for proper embryogenesis, immunity, and healing, and its underpinning regulatory mechanisms are often hijacked during diseases such as chronic inflammations and cancer metastasis. Studies on migratory epithelial tissues have revealed that cells can move as a collective group with shared responsibilities. First thought to be restricted to proper epithelial cell types able to maintain stable cell-cell junctions, the field of collective cell migration is now widening to include cooperative behavior of mesenchymal cells. In this review, we give an overview of the mechanisms driving collective cell migration in epithelial tissues and discuss how mesenchymal cells can cooperate to behave as a collective in the absence of bona fide cell-cell adhesions.
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