Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cell Migration01:19

Cell Migration

6.1K
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.
6.1K
Cell Migration01:09

Cell Migration

18.2K
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.
18.2K
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

Cytoskeletal 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
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration01:18

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

3.0K
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....
3.0K
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

6.2K
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.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate....
6.2K
Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration01:21

Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration

4.2K
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...
4.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

HB-EGF enhances collective cell migration via spatial coordination of traction.

APL bioengineering·2026
Same author

Cellular nematics speeding up calcium propagation.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same author

Accessible and cost-effective methods for patterning cell monolayers on compliant substrates.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Measurement of tissue viscosity to relate force and motion in collective cell migration.

Soft matter·2025
Same author

Traction and Stress Control Formation and Motion of +1/2 Topological Defects in Epithelial Cell Monolayers.

Newton ((New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Monocytes use protrusive forces to generate migration paths in viscoelastic collagen-based extracellular matrices.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
10:53

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

7.4K

Spatiotemporal force and motion in collective cell migration.

Aashrith Saraswathibhatla1, Emmett E Galles1, Jacob Notbohm2

  • 1Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.

Scientific Data
|June 26, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Understanding how cell forces drive collective cell migration is key for processes like wound healing and cancer metastasis. This study provides experimental data linking cell forces to motion, aiding theoretical model validation.

More Related Videos

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration
11:43

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration

Published on: April 3, 2015

8.9K
Integrative Toolkit to Analyze Cellular Signals: Forces, Motion, Morphology, and Fluorescence
14:55

Integrative Toolkit to Analyze Cellular Signals: Forces, Motion, Morphology, and Fluorescence

Published on: March 5, 2022

4.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
10:53

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

7.4K
Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration
11:43

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration

Published on: April 3, 2015

8.9K
Integrative Toolkit to Analyze Cellular Signals: Forces, Motion, Morphology, and Fluorescence
14:55

Integrative Toolkit to Analyze Cellular Signals: Forces, Motion, Morphology, and Fluorescence

Published on: March 5, 2022

4.2K

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Collective cell migration is crucial for tissue development and disease progression.
  • The precise relationship between active cellular forces and collective motion remains poorly understood.
  • Existing theoretical models offer varied explanations for force-motion coupling in cell layers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the interplay between active cell forces and collective cell migration.
  • To provide a dataset for validating theoretical models of cell movement.
  • To elucidate how force generation influences collective cell behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Time-lapse imaging of cells cultured in 1 mm circular islands.
  • Computation of cell velocities, cell-substrate tractions, and monolayer stresses.
  • Perturbation experiments varying cell density and actomyosin contractility.

Main Results:

  • Quantification of cell velocities and forces in collective migration.
  • Demonstration of how altered cell density and contractility impact migration dynamics.
  • Establishment of empirical relationships between force and motion.

Conclusions:

  • Experimental data is essential for refining theoretical models of collective cell migration.
  • Cellular forces and motion are intricately linked, influencing tissue dynamics.
  • This dataset offers a valuable resource for mechanobiology research.