Sticking, steering, squeezing and shearing: cell movements driven by heterotypic mechanical forces

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biophysics
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Cells interact mechanically during development, immune responses, and cancer.
• Heterotypic mechanical interactions are crucial for cell migration.
• Understanding these forces is key to comprehending tissue morphogenesis and disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how heterotypic mechanical interactions enable cell movements during development and cancer.
• To analyze the forces involved in cell adhesion, squeezing through barriers, and tissue-level movements.
• To discuss mechanotransduction feedback loops guiding cell migration and the nature of cell-cell contacts.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cell mechanics and migration.
• Analysis of forces in single-cell and tissue-level movements.
• Examination of mechanotransduction pathways and adhesion receptor interactions.

Main Results:

• Single cells use forces to adhere and migrate through barriers (e.g., leukocyte extravasation, cancer metastasis).
• Adjacent tissues exert dragging and shearing forces influencing collective cell movements (e.g., Drosophila dorsal closure, zebrafish gastrulation).
• Mechanotransduction feedback loops and adhesion cues (homophilic/heterophilic) guide co-migration of different cell types.

Conclusions:

• Heterotypic mechanical interactions are fundamental drivers of cell migration in development and cancer.
• Understanding these complex force dynamics and signaling pathways offers insights into tissue formation and metastasis.
• Adhesion receptor interactions play a critical role in mediating these mechanically driven cellular behaviors.