Cell migration
Cell migration is central to development, immunity, and disease.
Cell migration is the movement of cells, either individually or as a group. It is a central process in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms, including tissue formation during embryonic development, wound healing, and immune responses. Errors during this process have serious consequences such as intellectual disability, vascular disease, tumor formation, and metastasis.
- field
- Cell biology
- known_for
- Movement of cells in development, wound healing, and immune responses
- key_processes
- Cytoskeletal model, membrane flow model, amoeboid migration
Lore & Background
Cell migration is studied using microscopy, often with time-lapse videos because cell movement is very slow—a few micrometers per minute. The leading front of the cell is very active, with successive contractions and expansions, and is generally accepted as the main motor that pulls the cell forward. Common features of mammalian cell migration include cytoplasmic displacement at the leading edge and laminar removal of dorsally-accumulated debris toward the trailing edge. The amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is useful to researchers because it consistently exhibits chemotaxis in response to cyclic AMP, moves more quickly than cultured mammalian cells, and has a haploid genome that simplifies connecting gene products to behavior.
Reader's Guide
Cell migration is a fundamental biological process with significant implications for health and disease. Understanding the mechanisms by which cells migrate may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for controlling invasive tumor cells. Two main theories explain how the cell advances its front edge: the cytoskeletal model, which emphasizes rapid actin polymerization pushing the leading edge forward, and the membrane flow model, which proposes that extension occurs primarily by addition of membrane at the front. Both processes may contribute. Microtubules act as struts that counteract contractile forces needed for trailing edge retraction, and they help establish directionality. Some cell types, including Dictyostelium amoebae, neutrophils, and metastatic cancer cells, are capable of adhesion-independent migration, with rearward membrane flow providing propulsion. Collective cell motion may involve microdomain signaling that organizes the cytoskeleton and adhesion sites. The polarity of migrating cells—a front and a back—is essential for directed movement, though its molecular basis remains unknown.
Did You Know?
- Cells often migrate in response to specific external signals, including chemical signals and mechanical signals.
- The leading front of a migrating cell is very active, with characteristic successive contractions and expansions.
- Microtubules act as struts that counteract contractile forces needed for trailing edge retraction.
- Some cell types, such as Dictyostelium amoebae and neutrophils, can migrate without adhesions using rearward membrane flow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Cell migration?
Cell migration is the directed or undirected movement of individual cells or cell collectives through their surrounding environment. It is a core topic in cell biology that explains how organisms build, repair, and defend themselves.
What are Cell migration's powers and role?
Cell migration drives tissue assembly during embryogenesis, coordinates the repair of damaged tissue, and guides immune cells to sites of infection. It operates through three principal mechanisms: cytoskeletal remodeling, membrane flow, and amoeboid movement.
How does Cell migration's story end?
When the process malfunctions, the consequences are severe—misdirected movement can cause developmental disorders such as intellectual disability or vascular malformations. In adult organisms, dysregulated migration underlies tumor growth and metastatic spread.
Why is Cell migration important?
Without accurate cell migration, multicellular organisms cannot assemble functional tissues, close wounds, or mount effective immune responses. It is therefore a cornerstone process linking development, daily homeostasis, and disease.
What are Cell migration's key abilities?
The three principal mechanistic models—cytoskeletal model, membrane flow model, and amoeboid migration—each describe a distinct physical strategy a cell uses to propel itself. Together they account for how cells navigate through extracellular matrix or squeeze between neighbors.
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