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Related Concept Videos

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

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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...
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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.
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Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration
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Shifting the optimal stiffness for cell migration.

Benjamin L Bangasser1, Ghaidan A Shamsan1, Clarence E Chan1

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 312 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.

Nature Communications
|May 23, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell migration speed depends on environmental stiffness, with an optimal stiffness found for maximal migration. This study presents a simulator predicting this optimum, which can be tuned by adjusting molecular motors and clutches.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Cell migration is crucial for biological processes like wound healing and cancer metastasis.
  • Cellular migration is significantly influenced by the mechanical properties, specifically stiffness, of the surrounding microenvironment.
  • Many cell types display a specific environmental stiffness that maximizes their migration rate, known as the stiffness optimum.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a computational model predicting the stiffness optimum for cell migration.
  • To investigate the role of molecular motors and clutches in determining the stiffness optimum.
  • To experimentally verify the model's predictions regarding stiffness-dependent cell migration and its modulation.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a novel cell migration simulator based on molecular motor and clutch dynamics.
  • Experimental validation using two distinct cell types: embryonic chick forebrain neurons (ECFNs) and U251 glioma cells.
  • Measurement of cell traction forces and F-actin retrograde flow rates under varying substrate stiffness.

Main Results:

  • The cell migration simulator accurately predicts a stiffness optimum for cell migration.
  • The predicted stiffness optimum can be modulated by altering the number of active molecular motors and clutches.
  • Experimental data confirmed differential stiffness optima for ECFNs (∼1 kPa) and U251 glioma cells (∼100 kPa), correlating with their motor and clutch content.
  • Inhibition of myosin II motors and integrin-mediated adhesions shifted the stiffness optimum for U251 cells to lower stiffness values, affecting migration and morphology.

Conclusions:

  • The number of active molecular motors and clutches is a key determinant of the stiffness optimum for cell migration.
  • The developed simulator provides a valuable tool for understanding and predicting cell migration behavior on substrates of varying stiffness.
  • Pharmacological modulation of cytoskeletal components can alter the stiffness sensitivity of cell migration, offering potential therapeutic strategies for diseases involving aberrant cell movement.