Mechanochemical feedback underlies coexistence of qualitatively distinct cell polarity patterns within diverse cell populations.

ABSTRACT: Cell polarization and directional cell migration can display random, persistent, and oscillatory dynamic patterns. However, it is not clear whether these polarity patterns can be explained by the same underlying regulatory mechanism. Here, we show that random, persistent, and oscillatory migration accompanied by polarization can simultaneously occur in populations of melanoma cells derived from tumors with different degrees of aggressiveness. We demonstrate that all of these patterns and the probabilities of their occurrence are quantitatively accounted for by a simple mechanism involving a spatially distributed, mechanochemical feedback coupling the dynamically changing extracellular matrix (ECM)-cell contacts to the activation of signaling downstream of the Rho-family small GTPases. This

SUBMITTER: Park J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5514712 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature