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

Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

46.6K
Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
46.6K
Cell Migration01:09

Cell Migration

18.1K
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.
18.1K
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
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
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

ERC Consolidator Grant: predicting inflammation-driven cardiovascular regeneration by understanding mechanosensitive cell-cell signalling.

European heart journal·2026
Same author

Kinemomics: spatiotemporal morphodynamic mapping of ventricular kinematic subpopulations in organotypic fetal heart slices.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Traction Force Microscopy for Viscoelastic Substrates: A Semi-Analytical Method.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026
Same author

Restoration of structural organization in engineered cardiac microtissues is promoted by cardiomyocyte beating.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

A noncanonical role for Jagged1 in endothelial mechanotransduction.

The FEBS journal·2026
Same author

Bmp9 regulates Notch signaling and the temporal dynamics of angiogenesis via Lunatic Fringe.

Developmental cell·2026
Same journal

A critical review of microfluidic electroporation for therapeutic cell engineering.

Cell reports. Physical science·2026
Same journal

Mechanistic insights into how water-network disorder determines the vitrification concentration in cryopreservation solutions.

Cell reports. Physical science·2026
Same journal

Bio-inspired biped microwalker with magneto-acoustic actuation for cell manipulation.

Cell reports. Physical science·2026
Same journal

Color-tunable luminescent Tb<sub>x</sub>Eu<sub>y</sub>(BDC) complexes assembled within liposome-based nanoreactors.

Cell reports. Physical science·2026
Same journal

3D environment favors persistent changes in cell functions and altered morphology, wrinkling, and biomechanical signature of the nucleus.

Cell reports. Physical science·2026
Same journal

Biocompatibility of large-area two-dimensional electronic materials with neural stem cells.

Cell reports. Physical science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Generation of Multicue Cellular Microenvironments by UV-Photopatterning of Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Substrates
09:30

Generation of Multicue Cellular Microenvironments by UV-Photopatterning of Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Substrates

Published on: June 2, 2022

2.8K

Cellular Contact Guidance Emerges from Gap Avoidance.

Antonetta B C Buskermolen1,2, Tommaso Ristori1,2, Dylan Mostert1,2

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Cell Reports. Physical Science
|July 21, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular contact guidance, the alignment of cells along patterned cues, arises from cell shape fluctuations and gap avoidance, not just focal adhesions. These biophysical mechanisms offer a general explanation for cell alignment behaviors.

Keywords:
cell adhesioncell alignmentcell organizationcontact guidancefocal adhesionmicrocontact printingprotein patterningstatistical mechanicsstress fiberssubstrate anisotropy

More Related Videos

Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy
05:50

Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy

Published on: November 1, 2021

2.7K
A GFP Complementation-based Dual-expression System for Assessing Cell-Cell Contact Mediated by Cytonemes in Live Drosophila Wing Imaginal Discs
07:26

A GFP Complementation-based Dual-expression System for Assessing Cell-Cell Contact Mediated by Cytonemes in Live Drosophila Wing Imaginal Discs

Published on: August 22, 2025

520

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Generation of Multicue Cellular Microenvironments by UV-Photopatterning of Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Substrates
09:30

Generation of Multicue Cellular Microenvironments by UV-Photopatterning of Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Substrates

Published on: June 2, 2022

2.8K
Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy
05:50

Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy

Published on: November 1, 2021

2.7K
A GFP Complementation-based Dual-expression System for Assessing Cell-Cell Contact Mediated by Cytonemes in Live Drosophila Wing Imaginal Discs
07:26

A GFP Complementation-based Dual-expression System for Assessing Cell-Cell Contact Mediated by Cytonemes in Live Drosophila Wing Imaginal Discs

Published on: August 22, 2025

520

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Cells align along anisotropic biochemical or topographical patterns, a phenomenon termed contact guidance.
  • Existing explanations often focus on the enforced alignment of focal adhesions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the fundamental mechanisms driving contact guidance.
  • To explore the role of cue length scale in contact guidance.
  • To develop a general biophysical model for cell alignment.

Main Methods:

  • Creation of substrates micropatterned with parallel fibronectin lines of varying dimensions.
  • Quantitative morphometric analysis of cell behavior on these patterned substrates.
  • Computational simulations of cell remodeling using a statistical mechanics framework.

Main Results:

  • Two distinct regimes of contact guidance were observed, dependent on the length scale of the fibronectin cues.
  • These observed regimes could not be explained solely by the alignment of focal adhesions.
  • Simulations demonstrated that contact guidance emerges from anisotropic cell shape fluctuation and gap avoidance.

Conclusions:

  • Contact guidance is governed by general biophysical mechanisms, including cell shape dynamics and the energetic cost of cell-substrate detachment.
  • These mechanisms operate independently of specific molecular pathways, providing a universal explanation for cell alignment.
  • The findings offer new insights into how cells interpret and respond to their microenvironment.