- How do cells orchestrate themselves to achieve a directional movement as a group? Hi, I’m @sayukihirano.bsky.social. In this thread, I’ll highlight key mechanisms of how cells communicate with each other to perform directional collective migration.
- What directs collective cell migration? Firstly, extracellular ligands. During epithelial wound healing, the release of EGFR ligands triggers the propagation of ERK activation between cells, orienting collective cell migration. bsky.app/profile/epim...
- For cells to migrate collectively, cell-cell adhesion is essential. In collective cell durotaxis, where cells migrate along gradients of substrate stiffness, intercellular tension transmission via adherens junctions is necessary for guiding this movement. bsky.app/profile/epim...
- The importance of cell-cell adhesion in collective cell durotaxis has also been demonstrated in vivo. Neural crest cells self-generate stiffness gradients in adjacent tissues through N-cadherin-dependent cell-cell interactions, guiding their migration. bsky.app/profile/epim...
- Adherens junctions are not the only key players in cell-cell adhesion. Zonula occludens (ZO) proteins, which serve as scaffolds of tight junctions, help maintain tissue fluidity and enable efficient collective cell migration. bsky.app/profile/epim...
- In zebrafish gastrulation, tight junctions act as mechanosensitive promoters of collective cell migration. ZO-1, a member of ZO proteins, accumulates at the tissue boundary in an actomyosin-dependent manner and facilitates gastrulation. bsky.app/profile/epim...
- We found that during collective cell migration, ZO-1 translocates from tight junctions to podosomes, a type of cell-ECM adhesions, in response to ERK activation. ZO-1 at podosomes contributes to traction force generation and cell invasion. bsky.app/profile/epim...Jan 31, 2026 08:55
- Cells communicate and coordinate their behaviors through chemical signals, mechanical forces, and cell-cell adhesions to achieve a directional collective migration. bsky.app/profile/epim...
- Collective cell migration isn’t just the sum of individual cell movements. It’s a complex, coordinated behavior of cell networks. How do cells integrate diverse signals from their environment and neighbors into a unified movement? Many intriguing questions remain to be explored.
