Cell migration articles from across Nature Portfolio

Despite the constant renewal of their components, cellular actin networks maintain their overall appearance, through a subtle balance of filament assembly and disassembly. This balance is key to the remodelling of cellular architecture. We discuss the significance of in vitro reconstitutions in deciphering the complexity of actin regulation.

In this Tools of the Trade article, Isomursu (Ivaska lab) describes a new method for dynamic micropatterning, which enables investigation of cell adhesion and migration on substrates that mimic different extracellular matrix environments.

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial in embryogenesis and can be exploited by cancer cells to gain metastatic abilities. A hallmark of EMT is E-cadherin loss. In 2000, Snail was reported as the first E-cadherin repressor identified in the context of EMT, advancing our understanding of embryonic development and cancer progression.

Sphingomyelin synthase 2 foci assemble at the leading edge of the basal membrane in migrating cells, and these foci eventually become sites of migrasome formation. Conversion of ceramide to sphingomyelin spurs migrasome growth and preserves the structural integrity of these organelles.

Cycles of stretch and compression, such as during cell migration through tissues, lead to stabilization of microtubules owing to redistribution of the plus-end-binding protein CLASP2 along microtubule lengths.