scholarly journals Self-organized cell migration across scales – from single cell movement to tissue formation

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 148 (7) ◽  
pp. dev191767
Author(s):  
Jessica Stock ◽  
Andrea Pauli
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Self Organizing

ABSTRACTSelf-organization is a key feature of many biological and developmental processes, including cell migration. Although cell migration has traditionally been viewed as a biological response to extrinsic signals, advances within the past two decades have highlighted the importance of intrinsic self-organizing properties to direct cell migration on multiple scales. In this Review, we will explore self-organizing mechanisms that lay the foundation for both single and collective cell migration. Based on in vitro and in vivo examples, we will discuss theoretical concepts that underlie the persistent migration of single cells in the absence of directional guidance cues, and the formation of an autonomous cell collective that drives coordinated migration. Finally, we highlight the general implications of self-organizing principles guiding cell migration for biological and medical research.

scholarly journals Contact inhibition of locomotion probabilities drive solitary versus collective cell migration

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (88) ◽  
pp. 20130717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi A. Desai ◽  
Smitha B. Gopal ◽  
Sophia Chen ◽  
Christopher S. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
State Transition ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Contact Inhibition ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Collective Migration ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Solitary Cell

Contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL) is the process whereby cells collide, cease migrating in the direction of the collision, and repolarize their migration machinery away from the collision. Quantitative analysis of CIL has remained elusive because cell-to-cell collisions are infrequent in traditional cell culture. Moreover, whereas CIL predicts mutual cell repulsion and ‘scattering’ of cells, the same cells in vivo are observed to undergo CIL at some developmental times and collective cell migration at others. It remains unclear whether CIL is simply absent during collective cell migration, or if the two processes coexist and are perhaps even related. Here, we used micropatterned stripes of extracellular matrix to restrict cell migration to linear paths such that cells polarized in one of two directions and collisions between cells occurred frequently and consistently, permitting quantitative and unbiased analysis of CIL. Observing repolarization events in different contexts, including head-to-head collision, head-to-tail collision, collision with an inert barrier, or no collision, and describing polarization as a two-state transition indicated that CIL occurs probabilistically, and most strongly upon head-to-head collisions. In addition to strong CIL, we also observed ‘trains’ of cells moving collectively with high persistence that appeared to emerge from single cells. To reconcile these seemingly conflicting observations of CIL and collective cell migration, we constructed an agent-based model to simulate our experiments. Our model quantitatively predicted the emergence of collective migration, and demonstrated the sensitivity of such emergence to the probability of CIL. Thus CIL and collective migration can coexist, and in fact a shift in CIL probabilities may underlie transitions between solitary cell migration and collective cell migration. Taken together, our data demonstrate the emergence of persistently polarized, collective cell movement arising from CIL between colliding cells.

scholarly journals Roles of leader and follower cells in collective cell migration

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (14) ◽  
pp. 1267-1272
Author(s):  
Lei Qin ◽  
Dazhi Yang ◽  
Weihong Yi ◽  
Huiling Cao ◽  
Guozhi Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Collective Movement

Collective cell migration is a widely observed phenomenon during animal development, tissue repair, and cancer metastasis. Considering its broad involvement in biological processes, it is essential to understand the basics behind the collective movement. Based on the topology of migrating populations, tissue-scale kinetics, called the “leader–follower” model, has been proposed for persistent directional collective movement. Extensive in vivo and in vitro studies reveal the characteristics of leader cells, as well as the special mechanisms leader cells employ for maintaining their positions in collective migration. However, follower cells have attracted increasing attention recently due to their important contributions to collective movement. In this Perspective, the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the “leader–follower” model is reviewed with a special focus on the force transmission and diverse roles of leaders and followers during collective cell movement.

scholarly journals α4/α9 Integrins Coordinate Epithelial Cell Migration Through Local Suppression of MAP Kinase Signaling Pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willow Hight-Warburton ◽  
Robert Felix ◽  
Andrew Burton ◽  
Hannah Maple ◽  
Magda S. Chegkazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Keratinocyte Proliferation ◽  
Basal Keratinocytes ◽  
Keratinocyte Cell

Adhesion of basal keratinocytes to the underlying extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in the control of skin homeostasis and response to injury. Integrin receptors indirectly link the ECM to the cell cytoskeleton through large protein complexes called focal adhesions (FA). FA also function as intracellular biochemical signaling platforms to enable cells to respond to changing extracellular cues. The α4β1 and α9β1 integrins are both expressed in basal keratinocytes, share some common ECM ligands, and have been shown to promote wound healing in vitro and in vivo. However, their roles in maintaining epidermal homeostasis and relative contributions to pathological processes in the skin remain unclear. We found that α4β1 and α9β1 occupied distinct regions in monolayers of a basal keratinocyte cell line (NEB-1). During collective cell migration (CCM), α4 and α9 integrins co-localized along the leading edge. Pharmacological inhibition of α4β1 and α9β1 integrins increased keratinocyte proliferation and induced a dramatic change in cytoskeletal remodeling and FA rearrangement, detrimentally affecting CCM. Further analysis revealed that α4β1/α9β1 integrins suppress extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activity to control migration through the regulation of downstream kinases including Mitogen and Stress Activated Kinase 1 (MSK1). This work demonstrates the roles of α4β1 and α9β1 in regulating migration in response to damage cues.

scholarly journals A high-throughput 3D bioprinted cancer cell migration and invasion model with versatile and broad biological applicability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
MoonSun Jung ◽  
Joanna Skhinas ◽  
Eric Y Du ◽  
Maria Kristine Tolentino ◽  
Robert Utama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Drug Screening ◽  
Cancer Biology ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Cell Migration And Invasion ◽  
Drop On Demand

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of migration and metastasis is a key focus of cancer research. There is an urgent need to develop in vitro 3D tumor models that can mimic physiological cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, with high reproducibility and that are suitable for high throughput (HTP) drug screening. Here, we developed a HTP 3D bioprinted migration model using a bespoke drop-on-demand bioprinting platform. This HTP platform coupled with tunable hydrogel systems enables (i) the rapid encapsulation of cancer cells within in vivo tumor mimicking matrices, (ii) in situ and real-time measurement of cell movement, (iii) detailed molecular analysis for the study of mechanisms underlying cell migration and invasion, and (iv) the identification of novel therapeutic options. This work demonstrates that this HTP 3D bioprinted cell migration platform has broad applications across quantitative cell and cancer biology as well as drug screening.

scholarly journals Vimentin fibers orient traction stress

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (20) ◽  
pp. 5195-5200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Costigliola ◽  
Liya Ding ◽  
Christoph J. Burckhardt ◽  
Sangyoon J. Han ◽  
Edgar Gutierrez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Graph Matching ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Mechanical Strain ◽  
Migration Direction ◽  
Human Foreskin Fibroblasts ◽  
And Migration

The intermediate filament vimentin is required for cells to transition from the epithelial state to the mesenchymal state and migrate as single cells; however, little is known about the specific role of vimentin in the regulation of mesenchymal migration. Vimentin is known to have a significantly greater ability to resist stress without breaking in vitro compared with actin or microtubules, and also to increase cell elasticity in vivo. Therefore, we hypothesized that the presence of vimentin could support the anisotropic mechanical strain of single-cell migration. To study this, we fluorescently labeled vimentin with an mEmerald tag using TALEN genome editing. We observed vimentin architecture in migrating human foreskin fibroblasts and found that network organization varied from long, linear bundles, or “fibers,” to shorter fragments with a mesh-like organization. We developed image analysis tools employing steerable filtering and iterative graph matching to characterize the fibers embedded in the surrounding mesh. Vimentin fibers were aligned with fibroblast branching and migration direction. The presence of the vimentin network was correlated with 10-fold slower local actin retrograde flow rates, as well as spatial homogenization of actin-based forces transmitted to the substrate. Vimentin fibers coaligned with and were required for the anisotropic orientation of traction stresses. These results indicate that the vimentin network acts as a load-bearing superstructure capable of integrating and reorienting actin-based forces. We propose that vimentin's role in cell motility is to govern the alignment of traction stresses that permit single-cell migration.

scholarly journals How inhibitory cues can both constrain and promote cell migration

2016 ◽  
Vol 213 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne E. Bronner
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Neural Crest ◽  
Neural Crest Cells ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Promote Cell Migration ◽  
Neural Crest Migration ◽  
Physical Boundary

Collective cell migration is a common feature in both embryogenesis and metastasis. By coupling studies of neural crest migration in vivo and in vitro with mathematical modeling, Szabó et al. (2016, J. Cell Biol., http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201602083) demonstrate that the proteoglycan versican forms a physical boundary that constrains neural crest cells to discrete streams, in turn facilitating their migration.

scholarly journals Microtubule deacetylation reduces cell stiffness to allow the onset of collective cell migration in vivo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian L Marchant ◽  
Abdul N Malmi-Kakkada ◽  
Jaime A Espina ◽  
Elias H Barriga
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Mechanical Response ◽  
Substrate Stiffness ◽  
Cell Stiffness ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force

Embryogenesis, tissue repair and cancer metastasis rely on collective cell migration (CCM). In vitro studies propose that migrating cells are stiffer when exposed to stiff substrates, known to allow CCM, but softer when plated in compliant non-permissive surfaces. Here, by combining in vivo atomic force microscopy (iAFM) and modelling we reveal that to collectively migrate in vivo, cells require to dynamically decrease their stiffness in response to the temporal stiffening of their native substrate. Moreover, molecular and mechanical perturbations of embryonic tissues uncover that this unexpected cell mechanical response is achieved by a new mechanosensitive pathway involving Piezo1-mediated microtubule deacetylation. Finally, lowering microtubule acetylation and consequently cell stiffness was sufficient to allow CCM in soft non-permissive substrates, suggesting that a fixed value of substrate stiffness is not as essential for CCM as it is reaching an optimal cell-to-substrate stiffness value. These in vivo insights on cell-to-substrate mechanical interplay have major implications to our re-interpretation of physiological and pathological contexts.

scholarly journals Stretch-induced endogenous electric fields drive neural crest directed collective cell migration in vivo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Ferreira ◽  
Sofia Moreira ◽  
Elias H Barriga
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Neural Crest ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Embryonic Cell ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Convergent Extension ◽  
Topological Features ◽  
Stretch Activated Channels

Directed collective cell migration (dCCM) is essential for morphogenesis. Cell clusters migrate in inherently complex in vivo environments composed of chemical, electrical, mechanical as well as topological features. While these environmental factors have been shown to allow dCCM in vitro, our understanding of dCCM in vivo is mostly limited to chemical guidance. Thus, despite its wide biological relevance, the mechanisms that guide dCCM in vivo remain unclear. To address this, we study endogenous electric fields in relation to the migratory environment of the Xenopus laevis cephalic neural crest, an embryonic cell population that collectively and directionally migrates in vivo. Combining bioelectrical, biomechanical and molecular tools, we show that endogenous electric fields drive neural crest dCCM via electrotaxis in vivo. Moreover, we identify the voltage-sensitive phosphatase 1 (Vsp1) as a key component of the molecular mechanism used by neural crest cells to transduce electric fields into a directional cue. Furthermore, Vsp1 function is specifically required for electrotaxis, being dispensable for cell motility and chemotaxis. Finally, we reveal that endogenous electric fields are mechanoelectrically established. Mechanistically, convergent extension movements of the neural fold generate membrane tension, which in turn opens stretch-activated channels to mobilise the ions required to fuel electric fields. Overall, our results reveal a mechanism of cell guidance, where electrotaxis emerges from the mechanoelectrical and molecular interplay between neighbouring tissues. More broadly, our data contribute to validate the, otherwise understudied, functions of endogenous bioelectrical stimuli in morphogenetic processes.

scholarly journals Mesenchyme modulates three-dimensional, collective cell migration of liver cells in vitro - a role for TGFß pathway

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ogechi Ogoke ◽  
Osama Yousef ◽  
Cortney Ott ◽  
Allison Kalinousky ◽  
Lin Wayne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Liver Cell ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Branching Morphogenesis ◽  
Lung Fibroblasts ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Paracrine Effects ◽  
Cell Therapies

ABSTRACTThree dimensional (3D) collective cell migration (CCM) is critical for improving liver cell therapies, eliciting mechanisms of liver disease, and modeling human liver development/ organogenesis. Here, we modeled liver organogenesis to induce 3D CCM and improve existing models. The liver diverticulum, normally surrounded by septum transversum mesenchyme (STM) at E8.5, was modeled with a miniature liver spheroid surrounded by mesenchymal cells and matrix. In mixed spheroid models with both liver and uniquely MRC5 (fetal lung) fibroblasts, we observed co-migration of cells, and a significant increase in length and number of liver spheroid protrusions, and this was highly sensitive to TGFB1 stimulation. To understand paracrine effects between MRC-5 cells and liver, we performed conditioned medium (M-CM) experiments. Interestingly, the addition of M-CM increased liver 3D CCM, with thin, 3D, dose-dependent branching morphogenesis, an upregulation of Twist1, and a sensitivity to a broad TGFB inhibitor. To test the effects of cell-cell interactions of 3D CCM, the STM was modeled with a spheroid of MRC-5 cells, and we performed co-spheroid culture of liver with MRC-5. We observed a complex morphogenesis, whereby thin, linear, 3D liver cell strands attach to the MRC-5 spheroid, anchor, and thicken to form permanent and thick anchoring contacts between the two spheroids. We also observed spheroid fusion, a form of interstitial migration. In conclusion, we present several novel cultivation systems that induce distinct features of 3D CCM, as judged by the presence of branching, linearity, thickness, and interstitial migration. These methodologies will greatly improve our molecular, cellular, and tissue-scale understanding of liver organogenesis, liver diseases, and liver cell therapy, and will serve as a tool to bridge conventional 2D studies and preclinical in vivo studies.

scholarly journals Collective cell migration: leadership, invasion and segregation

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (77) ◽  
pp. 3268-3278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre J. Kabla
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Collective Effects ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Coordination Process ◽  
Sheet Migration

A number of biological processes, such as embryo development, cancer metastasis or wound healing, rely on cells moving in concert. The mechanisms leading to the emergence of coordinated motion remain however largely unexplored. Although biomolecular signalling is known to be involved in most occurrences of collective migration, the role of physical and mechanical interactions has only been recently investigated. In this study, a versatile framework for cell motility is implemented in silico in order to study the minimal requirements for the coordination of a group of epithelial cells. We find that cell motility and cell–cell mechanical interactions are sufficient to generate a broad array of behaviours commonly observed in vitro and in vivo . Cell streaming, sheet migration and susceptibility to leader cells are examples of behaviours spontaneously emerging from these simple assumptions, which might explain why collective effects are so ubiquitous in nature. The size of the population and its confinement appear, in particular, to play an important role in the coordination process. In all cases, the complex response of the population can be predicted from the knowledge of the correlation length of the velocity field measured in the bulk of the epithelial layer. This analysis provides also new insights into cancer metastasis and cell sorting, suggesting, in particular, that collective invasion might result from an emerging coordination in a system where single cells are mechanically unable to invade.

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