Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

Colloids and Suspensions

Colloids and Suspensions

Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...

Cell Migration

Cell Migration

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.

Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation

Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation

Cell size is a significant factor impacting cellular design, function, and fitness. There exists some internal coordination by which cells double their masses before division, thus, achieving homeostasis. Coordination between cell growth and proliferation depends on the checkpoints in between cell cycle phases. Loss of coordination or failure in the checkpoint mechanism can drive the cell to uncontrolled growth and loss of cellular function. Like dividing cells that coordinate cellular growth,...

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Coping with uncertainty: Challenges for robust pattern formation in dynamical tissues.

Seminars in cell & developmental biology·2025

Same author

Gastrulation: Lessons from the quail embryo.

Current biology : CB·2025

Same author

Hic-5 transduces mechanical force that drives a vicious cycle of bronchoconstriction.

Research square·2025

Same author

How embryos sort themselves out.

Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology·2023

Same author

Developmental mechanisms understood quantitatively.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2023

Same author

A hydraulic feedback loop between mesendoderm cell migration and interstitial fluid relocalization promotes embryonic axis formation in zebrafish.

Developmental cell·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells

Published on: January 5, 2024

Pulling the strings on solid-to-liquid phase transitions in cell collectives.

Diana Pinheiro¹, Jennifer Mitchel²

¹Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, 1030, Austria.

Current Opinion in Cell Biology

|January 4, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Living tissues transition between solid and fluid states, but the biological signals driving these changes are unclear. This perspective highlights emerging evidence on the molecular mechanisms governing tissue rheology and collective cell behavior.

More Related Videos

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Published on: April 19, 2018

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells

Published on: January 5, 2024

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Published on: April 19, 2018

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration

Published on: October 13, 2019

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biophysics
Tissue dynamics

Background:

Epithelial tissues must adapt to diverse biological contexts, from maintaining homeostasis to undergoing remodeling during development, wound healing, and cancer invasion.
Transitions between solid-like and fluid-like states in cell collectives are observed, analogous to inert materials, but the underlying biological control mechanisms are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore emerging evidence on biological signals that regulate the collective state of living tissues.
To emphasize how these signaling mechanisms are utilized for functional adaptation in various biological contexts.

Main Methods:

This perspective synthesizes current research and emerging findings.
It focuses on identifying upstream signaling pathways and molecular effectors.

Main Results:

The study highlights key biological signals that determine the collective physical properties of tissues.
It discusses how these signals control tissue rheology and dynamics.

Conclusions:

Understanding the biological control of tissue rheology is crucial for comprehending tissue function in health and disease.
Emerging evidence points to specific signaling pathways as key regulators of collective cell behavior and tissue state transitions.