Cell coordination of collective migration by Rab11 and Moesin

Cell migration is an important process involved in developmental events and in pathologies such as cancer. Cell migration can be classified into two types: individual and collective cell movements. Compared with individual migration, collective cell migration is less understood and has drawn increasing attention lately because of its emerging role in cancer spreading. We have recently established that Rab11 is absolutely required for spatial control of Rac1 activity through the control of cell-cell communication during collective movements (Ramel, et al. 2013). Moreover, we demonstrated that Rab11 acts through the control of Moesin activity. Here, we discuss how Rab11 and Moesin could cooperate to transfer forces from cell to cell in order to insure coordinated collective cell migration.