Dynamic fibronectin assembly and remodeling by leader neural crest cells prevents jamming in collective cell migration.

ABSTRACT: Collective cell migration plays an essential role in vertebrate development, yet the extent to which dynamically changing microenvironments influence this phenomenon remains unclear. Observations of the distribution of the extracellular matrix (ECM) component fibronectin during the migration of loosely connected neural crest cells (NCCs) lead us to hypothesize that NCC remodeling of an initially punctate ECM creates a scaffold for trailing cells, enabling them to form robust and coherent stream patterns. We evaluate this idea in a theoretical setting by developing an individual-based computational model that incorporates reciprocal interactions between NCCs and their ECM. ECM remodeling, haptotaxis, contact guidance, and cell-cell repulsion are sufficient for cells to establish streams in

SUBMITTER: Martinson WD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10198726 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature