Cell & Developmental Biology
Open Access

Modes of Cell Migration and its Cyclic Process

Tom Gruber^{* *}Correspondence: Tom Gruber, Department of Biology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA, Email:

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Description

Multicellular organisms arise and are maintained mostly through cell migration. The movement of cells in specific directions to specified sites is necessary for immune responses, wound healing, and tissue formation throughout embryonic development. Single cells can migrate in the form of mesenchymal or amoeboid-like motion, or several cells might move together in a process known as collective migration or cell streaming.

Single-cell migration, which allows cells to move forward and between tissue compartments, process that, plays an important role in the migration of leukocytes by inflammation. The controlled movement of a single cell or a group of cells in response to chemical and/or mechanical signals is known as cell migration. It is a fundamental biological activity that starts during embryonic development and lasts the entirety of one's life and at times it can contribute to pathogenic states in disease.

Cell migration acts as the catalyst for a variety of morphogenetic events in a growing embryo. For example, during gastrulation, the three germ layers are formed by cell groups migrating as sheets. Cells from the germ layers travel to different target sites, where they specialize into distinct cell populations that form diverse tissues or organs in the embryo.

Process of cell migration as cyclic

When a single cell or a group of cells migrate, the process is thought to be cyclic and includes the following steps: Cell polarisation in response to migratory signals; extension of filopodial or lamellipodial protrusions; formation of adhesions between the cell and the underlying matrix; and pushing of the cells over the adhesions as a result of traction forces generated by the adhesions.

Steps of cell migration

The cycle can be divided into five steps at the level of a light microscope: (1) Extension of the leading edge; (2) Adhesion to matrix contacts; (3) Contraction of the cytoplasm; (4) Release from contact sites; (5) Recycling of membrane receptors from the back of the cell to the front.

Modes of cell migration

Cells with directional polarity, or those with a leading edge and a trailing end, are the first step in the fundamental process of cell migration. There are many different types of cell movements, including gliding motility, mechanotaxis, chemotaxis, and amoeboid movement.

• Individual cell migration

• migrating cells together

• Migration versus invasion

Conclusion

Cell migration occurs in adult animals during important cellular processes including tissue renewal and repair, when newly generated cells from the inner tissue layers migrate to replace injured or old cells. Such occurrences are necessary to preserve tissue integrity and homeostasis. Immune responses to infections are also regulated by cell migration, which phagocytic cells such neutrophils circulating in the bloodstream migrate to the infected tissues and destroy the invading pathogens. While it is accurate that cell migration is essential for preserving tissue health and homeostasis, it is also true that unfavorable migratory events can lead to a variety of clinical conditions, including cancer, inflammatory diseases, and more. Therefore, to keep an organism in a homeostatic condition, cell migration needs to be a carefully regulated process, both in terms of time and space.