Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
08:28
Visualization of Tangential Cell Migration in the Developing Chick Optic Tectum
Published on: October 24, 2018
6.5K
Collective cell migration during optic cup formation features changing cell-matrix interactions linked to matrix
Karen G Soans1, Ana Patricia Ramos2, Jaydeep Sidhaye3
1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, Dresden 01307, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, Dresden 01307, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, Arnoldstraße 18, Dresden 01307, Germany.
Current Biology : CB
|October 8, 2022
Summary
Tissue matrix topology influences collective cell migration during development. Changes in matrix porosity affect cell movement dynamics and migration efficiency, highlighting the importance of the extracellular matrix environment.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cell migration is vital for development and disease, yet the role of the physical environment, particularly the extracellular matrix (ECM), in vivo is understudied.
- Understanding how ECM properties influence cell migration is crucial for comprehending tissue morphogenesis and disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how extracellular matrix (ECM) properties impact cell migration in vivo during zebrafish optic cup formation.
- To elucidate the relationship between ECM topology, cell-matrix interactions, and collective cell migration dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized novel transgenic zebrafish lines and advanced image analysis pipelines.
- Quantitatively analyzed ECM properties and cell migration dynamics during optic cup morphogenesis.
- Combined experimental approaches with theoretical modeling to assess matrix porosity effects.
Main Results:
- Collectively migrating rim cells actively move over an immobile ECM using cryptic lamellipodia.
- ECM topology changes along the migration path, correlating with altered cell-matrix interaction dynamics.
- Increased ECM porosity impaired cryptic lamellipodia, reduced directed cell-matrix interactions, and decreased migration efficiency.
Conclusions:
- ECM topology is intrinsically linked to cell-matrix interaction dynamics and the efficiency of directed collective cell migration.
- Matrix porosity emerges as a key factor influencing directed cell migration during vertebrate optic cup morphogenesis.
- This study provides novel insights into the physical regulation of cell migration in vivo.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
4.8K
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...
4.8K
01:19Cell Migration
5.0K
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.
5.0K
01:24Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions
7.4K
The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...
7.4K
01:35Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
2.4K
Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However,...
2.4K
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
2.0K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
2.0K
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
3.5K
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...
3.5K