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
Authors: Sunyer, Raimon, Conte, Vito, Escribano, Jorge, Elosegui Artola, Alberto, Labernadie, Anna, Valon, Léo, Navajas Navarro, Daniel, García Aznar, José Manuel, Muñoz, José J., Roca-Cusachs Soulere, Pere, Trepat Guixer, Xavier
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2016
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/127963
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/127963
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Cèl·lules
Cèl·lules canceroses
Càncer
Cells
Cancer cells
Cancer
Description
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.