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Related Concept Videos

Cell Migration01:19

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 Migration01:09

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.
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration01:18

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...
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

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...
Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration01:21

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...
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation01:31

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...

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Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy
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Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy

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Guiding cell migration by tugging.

Sergey V Plotnikov1, Clare M Waterman

  • 1Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.

Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|July 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular durotaxis, movement towards stiffer matrices, is vital for healing and development but also drives cancer metastasis. Focal adhesions act as sensors, modulating mechanics to guide cell migration along extracellular matrix stiffness gradients.

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Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy
05:50

Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy

Published on: November 1, 2021

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
08:30

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events

Published on: August 27, 2019

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
10:53

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Cellular durotaxis, directional migration towards stiffer extracellular matrix (ECM), is crucial for development and wound healing.
  • Dysregulated durotaxis contributes to cancer metastasis.
  • Integrin-mediated focal adhesions (FAs) are key to cell migration, sensing ECM mechanical properties and transmitting cytoskeletal forces.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current advances in understanding the mechanism of traction force fluctuations within focal adhesions.
  • To examine downstream effectors regulating cytoskeletal and FA dynamics in response to ECM stiffness gradients.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on focal adhesion mechanics and cell migration.
  • Analysis of force generation and sensing mechanisms at the nanoscale within focal adhesions.

Main Results:

  • Focal adhesions act as autonomous local rigidity sensors, enabling cells to discern ECM stiffness differences with high spatial resolution.
  • Cells modulate FA mechanics and exert tugging forces to probe ECM stiffness.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding FA mechanics and force transmission is critical for elucidating durotaxis.
  • Identifying downstream effectors of FA tugging forces will illuminate mechanisms guiding cell migration in response to ECM stiffness gradients.