Collective cell durotaxis emerges from long-range intercellular force transmission

The ability of cells to follow gradients of extracellular matrix stiffness—durotaxis—has been implicated in development, fibrosis, and cancer. Here, we found multicellular clusters that exhibited durotaxis even if isolated constituent cells did not. This emergent mode of directed collective cell mig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2016-09, Vol.353 (6304), p.1157-1161
Main Authors: Sunyer, Raimon, Conte, Vito, Escribano, Jorge, Elosegui-Artola, Alberto, Labernadie, Anna, Valon, Léo, Navajas, Daniel, García-Aznar, José Manuel, Muñoz, José J., Roca-Cusachs, Pere, Trepat, Xavier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adhesion
Cancer
Cancer cells
Cell Line
Cellular biology
Clusters
Cèl·lules canceroses
Enginyeria biomèdica
Epithelial Cells - physiology
Extracellular Matrix
Fibrosis
Humans
Intercellular Junctions - physiology
Matrix
Microscopy, Phase-Contrast
Migration
Motors
Myosins - physiology
Phenomenology
Taxis Response
Wound healing
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC
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Summary:The ability of cells to follow gradients of extracellular matrix stiffness—durotaxis—has been implicated in development, fibrosis, and cancer. Here, we found multicellular clusters that exhibited durotaxis even if isolated constituent cells did not. This emergent mode of directed collective cell migration applied to a variety of epithelial cell types, required the action of myosin motors, and originated from supracellular transmission of contractile physical forces. To explain the observed phenomenology, we developed a generalized clutch model in which local stick-slip dynamics of cell-matrix adhesions was integrated to the tissue level through cell-cell junctions. Collective durotaxis is far more efficient than single-cell durotaxis; it thus emerges as a robust mechanism to direct cell migration during development, wound healing, and collective cancer cell invasion.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaf7119