Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
Published on: October 13, 2019
Direction-dependent contraction forces on cell boundaries induce collective migration of epithelial cells within
1Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan.
Abstract:
During early embryonic development, epithelial cells form a monolayer sheet and migrate in a definite direction. This phenomenon, called epithelial cell migration, is an important topic in developmental biology. A characteristic feature of this process is attachment to adjacent cells during migration, which is necessary for maintaining the integrity of the sheet. However, it is unclear how these cohesive cells migrate without breaking their attachments. A mechanism for this phenomenon was recently proposed, in which direction-dependent contraction forces acting on cell boundaries induce unidirectional epithelial migration. In this review, we examine this proposed mechanism from various aspects and provide theoretical background for the collective migration of epithelial cells. This information may be helpful for investigators to realize the basic principles underlying collective epithelial migration and devise new mechanisms for it.
Related Concept Videos
Cell Migration
Cell Migration
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration
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....
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...

