Abstract
Collective cell migration is essential during physiological processes such as development or wound healing and in pathological conditions such as cancer dissemination. Cells migrating within multicellular tissues experiment different forces which play an intricate role during tissue formation, development and maintenance. How cells are able to respond to these forces depends largely on how they interact with the extracellular matrix. In this review, we focus on mechanics and mechanotransduction in collective migration. In particular, we discuss current knowledge on how cells integrate mechanical signals during collective migration and we highlight actomyosin contractility as a central hub coordinating mechanosensing and mechanotransduction responses.
Highlights
Cells can migrate individually or collectively as multicellular groups
We focus on mechanics and mechanotransduction in collective migration
Collective migration is observed within compact and cohesive cell groups with two or more neighbouring cells that are able to migrate facilitated by long-lived cell-cell junctions [2]
Summary
Cells can migrate individually or collectively as multicellular groups (reviewed in [1]). Stimuli which alter the balance between activity and organization of actomyosin machinery, cell matrix and cell-cell adhesions results in cells switching between adhesion dependent elongated-mesenchymal modes, bleb based rounded-amoeboid modes and collective modes [1,7–9]. This “plasticity” is relevant in the context of cancer cells, as it offers cells the ability to move in diverse extracellular environments [1,2]. Branching morphogenesis in the mammary gland, vascular sprouting and border cell migration in Drosophila [12] are all physiological processes that require coordinated collective cell migration. In pathological processes such as cancer, tumour cells can move using multicellular streaming, tumour budding and collective invasion [1,13]
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