Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 23, 2026
11:43
Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration
Published on: April 3, 2015
9.0K
Difference in Dachsous Levels between Migrating Cells Coordinates the Direction of Collective Cell Migration
Masaki Arata1, Kaoru Sugimura2, Tadashi Uemura1
1Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, South Campus Research Building (Building G), Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Developmental Cell
|September 13, 2017
Summary
Cell adhesion molecules guide cell movement. A study on Drosophila larval epidermal cells reveals that variations in Dachsous (Ds) levels within migrating cells direct collective cell migration through cell-cell contacts.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The mechanisms by which cell-adhesion molecules guide cell migration are not fully understood.
- Extracellular chemotactic gradients are known to influence cell movement, but intracellular cues are less clear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cell-adhesion molecules in directing collective cell migration.
- To elucidate a cell group-autonomous mechanism for directional cell movement in Drosophila larval epidermal cells (LECs).
Main Methods:
- Studied the collective migration of Drosophila larval epidermal cells (LECs) along the anterior-posterior axis.
- Investigated the localization and function of atypical cadherins Dachsous (Ds) and Fat (Ft), and unconventional myosin Dachs.
Main Results:
- A 'Ds imbalance' within LECs along the migration axis led to polarized Ds localization at cell boundaries.
- This Ds polarity was essential for coordinating migratory direction.
- Ds, Ft, and Dachs showed biased localization and were all required for migration, suggesting a complex interaction.
Conclusions:
- A cell group-autonomous mechanism directs collective cell migration, driven by Ds imbalance.
- Ds-Ft-mediated cell-cell contacts decode the directional cue, restricting lamellipodia formation to the posterior cell end.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
5.9K
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...
5.9K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
5.6K
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...
5.6K
01:09Cell Migration
18.9K
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.
18.9K
01:19Cell Migration
6.8K
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.
6.8K
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
3.9K
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
3.9K
01:18Role of Myosin in Cell Migration
3.4K
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....
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....
3.4K