Collective cell migration in development

Abstract

Collective cell migration is a key process during the development of most organisms. It can involve either the migration of closely packed mesenchymal cells that make dynamic contacts with frequently changing neighbour cells, or the migration of epithelial sheets that typically display more stable cell-cell interactions and less frequent changes in neighbours. These collective movements can be controlled by short- or long-range dynamic gradients of extracellular signalling molecules, depending on the number of cells involved and their distance of migration. These gradients are sensed by some or all of the migrating cells and translated into directed migration, which in many settings is further modulated by cell-contact-mediated attractive or repulsive interactions that result in contact-following or contact-inhibition of locomotion, respectively. Studies of collective migration of groups of epithelial cells during development indicate that, in some cases, only leader cells sense and migrate up an external signal gradient, and that adjacent cells follow through strong cell-cell contacts. In this Commentary, I review studies of collective cell migration of differently sized cell populations during the development of several model organisms, and discuss our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that coordinate this migration.

The Drosophila Arf1 homologue Arf79F is essential for lamellipodium formation

“…Lamellipodia are sheet-like protrusions generated at the leading edge of a cell which play crucial roles in cell morphology and motility (Ridley, 2011;Weijer, 2009). The protrusive force is supplied by polymerisation of actin filaments initiated via the ubiquitous Arp2/3 complex which is activated by nucleation promoting factors (NPFs) (Campellone and Welch, 2010).…”

The effect of trapping superparamagnetic beads on domain wall motion

“…Such control could benefit cellular research, as signaling between cells may critically depend on the cell spacing. 22 To summarize, micromagnetic and analytical models have shown that magnetic domain walls are pinned in the locality of superparamagnetic beads below a critical magnetic field, proportional to the square of the bead diameter. The interaction causes the domain wall velocity to be limited by the hydrodynamic drag on the bead.…”

On the Mechanical Interplay Between Intra- and Inter-Synchronization During Collective Cell Migration: A Numerical Investigation

“…1.2), it is still unclear whether all the cells actively move forward or only the leader cells of the population migrate and pull the followers (Weijer 2009). For instance, in the lateral line primordium in Zebrafish as well as in other biological models such as Dictyostelium and Drosophila (Weijer 2009), the cells are believed to follow chemoattractant gradients that guide the collective movement. Furthermore, recent observations using epithelial monolayers have pointed out the presence of a mechanical wave that slowly spans the population and progressively transmits the forces from the leading edge to the centre of the cell sheet (Serra-Picamal et al 2012).…”

“…Actually, individual cells can migrate in large populations by closely interacting over long distances or migrating as epithelial sheets where neighbor connections do not change significantly (Weijer 2009). While in the former case cells move together in a manner similar to that of single cells, in the latter case cells remain linked both physically and functionally during the movement (Friedl and Gilmour 2009).…”