Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
09:36
Evaluation of Cancer Stem Cell Migration Using Compartmentalizing Microfluidic Devices and Live Cell Imaging
Published on: December 23, 2011
25.7K
Microtubules control cellular shape and coherence in amoeboid migrating cells
Aglaja Kopf1, Jörg Renkawitz1,2, Robert Hauschild1
1Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
The Journal of Cell Biology
|May 8, 2020
Summary
Microtubules sense cell shape and control protrusion retraction to prevent entanglement during cell migration. This microtubule proprioception maintains cellular coherence in complex environments.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Mechanobiology
Background:
- Cells migrating through tissues must coordinate shape changes to avoid entanglement.
- The mechanisms by which cells survey and correct their own shape during migration are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of microtubule dynamics in regulating cell shape and migration.
- To elucidate how cells maintain coherence and avoid fragmentation in complex microenvironments.
Main Methods:
- Studied dendritic cell migration in vitro.
- Investigated the role of microtubule depolymerization, RhoA signaling, and Lfc (leukocyte-associated immunoreceptor fragment) in regulating actomyosin contractility.
- Utilized live-cell imaging and perturbation experiments (e.g., Lfc depletion).
Main Results:
- Local microtubule depolymerization in protrusions triggers RhoA-mediated actomyosin contractility.
- Depletion of Lfc impairs cell edge coordination and adhesion resolution, hindering migration.
- Compromised shape control leads to cell entanglement and fragmentation in complex geometries.
Conclusions:
- Microtubules function as a proprioceptive device, sensing cell shape.
- Microtubule dynamics control actomyosin-based protrusion retraction to maintain cellular coherence.
- This mechanism is crucial for effective cell migration in challenging microenvironments.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Microtubules in Cell Motility
4.4K
Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
4.4K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
5.3K
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...
5.3K
02:17Microtubule Instability
5.9K
Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated...
5.9K
01:35Microtubules
97.4K
There are three types of cytoskeletal structures in eukaryotic cells—microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. With a diameter of about 25 nm, microtubules are the thickest of these fibers. Microtubules carry out a variety of functions that include cell structure and support, transport of organelles, cell motility (movement), and the separation of chromosomes during cell division.
97.4K
01:18Microtubules
9.9K
Microtubules are the thickest cytoskeletal filaments with a diameter of 25 nm. In prokaryotic organisms, microtubules are commonly found in locomotory appendages like cilia and flagella. In eukaryotic cells, microtubules form specialized extensions for moving fluid over the surface, like those found in cells lining the intestine.
Microtubules have two structurally similar globular protein subunits: α and β tubulins. In the cytosol, the α and β tubulins form a heterodimer....
Microtubules have two structurally similar globular protein subunits: α and β tubulins. In the cytosol, the α and β tubulins form a heterodimer....
9.9K
01:32Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures
2.3K
Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the cellular architecture, tracks for intracellular transport, positioning of organelles, assembly of cilia and flagella. They mediate the bipolar spindle assembly for chromosomal segregation and positioning of the cell division plate in dividing cells. The formation of microtubule complex structures depends on the cell type, cell stage, and cell function.
2.3K