Tissue stiffening coordinates morphogenesis by triggering collective cell migration in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Collective cell migration is essential for morphogenesis, tissue remodelling and cancer invasion. In vivo, groups of cells move in an orchestrated way through tissues. This movement involves mechanical as well as molecular interactions between cells and their environment. While the role of molecular signals in collective cell migration is comparatively well understood, how tissue mechanics influence collective cell migration in vivo remains unknown. Here we investigated the importance of mechanical cues in the collective migration of the Xenopus laevis neural crest cells, an embryonic cell population whose migratory behaviour has been likened to cancer invasion. We found that, during morphogenesis, the head mesoderm underlying the cephalic neural crest stiffens. This stiffening initiates a

SUBMITTER: Barriga EH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6013044 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature