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Updated: May 23, 2025
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Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
Published on: October 13, 2019
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Protrusion force and cell-cell adhesion-induced polarity alignment govern collective migration modes
Huijing Wang1, Catalina Ardila2, Ajita Jindal2
1Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Biophysical Journal
|April 16, 2025
Summary
This study reveals how cells collectively migrate in tumors. Increased cell protrusion force drives radial movement, while strong cell adhesion promotes directional migration, offering insights into cancer metastasis.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Collective cell migration is crucial for cancer invasion and metastasis.
- Mechanisms regulating tumor cell migration plasticity are poorly understood.
- Hypoxia influences collective cell migration modes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a mechanistic model for collective cell migration modes under hypoxia.
- To investigate the interplay between cellular protrusion force and cell-cell adhesion.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of tumor migration plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Developed an in silico multi-scale microtumor model using the cellular Potts model in CompuCell3D.
- Utilized in vitro experimental microtumor models to study migration modes.
- Analyzed distinct migration modes within specific parameter spaces of protrusion force and cell-cell adhesion.
Main Results:
- Identified distinct collective migration modes based on protrusion force and cell-cell adhesion.
- Sufficient cellular protrusion force is essential for both radial and directional migration.
- Strong cell-cell adhesion promotes cell polarity alignment, leading to directional migration.
Conclusions:
- Collective migration modes are regulated by cellular protrusion force and cell-cell adhesion.
- Computational and experimental models provide fundamental insights into cancer migration.
- These models can be adapted to study various cancer migration scenarios.
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