Emerging role of organelles in cell migration

Cell migration is a fundamental biological process essential for development, tissue repair, and cancer metastasis. While cytoskeletal dynamics, adhesion turnover, and biochemical signalling are known regulators of migration, intracellular organelles have traditionally been regarded as passive components. Emerging evidence now reveals that organelles actively reorganize and polarize during migration, undergoing spatial and functional specialization to coordinate force generation, adhesion dynamics, metabolic support, and mechanochemical signalling. In this review, we discuss recent advances highlighting how endo-lysosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, the Golgi apparatus, and migrasomes regulate cell migration. We synthesize emerging principles, identify common mechanistic themes, and outline key open questions that will guide future investigations into how organelles govern cell motility across physiological and pathological contexts.