Glass-like dynamics of collective cell migration

Collective cell migration in tissues occurs throughout embryonic development, during wound healing, and in cancerous tumor invasion, yet most detailed knowledge of cell migration comes from single-cell studies. As single cells migrate, the shape of the cell body fluctuates dramatically through cyclic processes of extension, adhesion, and retraction, accompanied by erratic changes in migration direction. Within confluent cell layers, such subcellular motions must be coupled between neighbors, yet the influence of these subcellular motions on collective migration is not known. Here we study motion within a confluent epithelial cell sheet, simultaneously measuring collective migration and subcellular motions,…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: DMR-1006546, 1006546, 0820484, DMR-0820484
• UD
  Universidad de Málaga
• IC
  Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
• MD
  Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
• MR
  Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Harvard University

  Award: DMR-0820484
• DO
  Division of Materials Research

  Awards: DMR-0820484, DMR-1006546