Out in @natmethods.nature.com: More dyes. They work. Quite well. And blink. Pick the one that fits your target, your technique, and your labeling density. With too many collaborators and institutes to list, but anchored at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Fig. 1. Basic steps of cell migration. (a) Mesenchymal cell migration. Cells are attached to the extracellular matrix (ECM) via integrins and focal adhesions (FA). Actin polymerization at the leading edge extends filamentous actin (F-actin) protrusions inducing a front-rear polarization. New FA adhesions attach the protrusions to the ECM followed by F-actin rearward movement, known as actin retrograde flow. Disassembly of rear FA and myosin II contraction at the back of cell generate the pushing force to move the cell forward. (b) Amoeboid cell migration. Cells do not form adhesions with the ECM or other cells. Under confinement, amoeboid cells form membrane blebs, also known as pseudopodia, inducing a front-rear polarization. Actin retrograde flow is initiated by mechanical forces, such as confinement. Myosin II contraction at the back of cell generates the pushing force to move the cell forward.
Fig. 2. MS ion channel families involved in cell migration. (a) Transient receptor potential channels (TRP). TRP channels form 6 transmembrane (TM) domains. TM 1-2 are represented in cyan, TM 3-4 in orange and TM 5-6 in magenta. The pore forming domain is formed between TM5 and TM6. Each subfamily of TRP channels contains unique domains in the cytoplasmic N- and C- termini. TRPC channels have three ankyrin repeats and a coiled-coil domain in the N-terminus. A TRP domain, which has gating functions, a calmodulin and IP3R binding domains are localized in the C-terminus. TRPV channels have six ankyrin repeats in the N-terminus. A TRP domain, a calmodulin and PIP2 binding domains are localized in the C-terminus. (b–b′) Piezo1 channels. (b) Each Piezo1 channel has at least 26 TM regions and up to 40 TM domains. The TM domains form three defined structures, known as blades. Each blade is colour coded in cyan, orange and magenta for easier representation. The carboy-terminal extracellular domain (CED) is located directly on top of the pore forming domain and is important for ion selectivity (Zhao et al., 2016). (b′) Due to its large size, a Piezo1 channel induces a small curvature to the plasma membrane, when force is applied the plasma membrane is stretched, thereby opening the Piezo1 channel.
Fig. 3. Role of MS ion channels in cell migration. (a) Actin protrusions. MS ion channels can regulate the extension of actin-based protrusions through PI3K signalling. Ca2+ binding to PI3K leads to the activation of several Rac1-GEFs, including P-Rex1 and SWAP-70, Vav1, Sos1. Rac1-GEFs mediate the transition from inactive Rac1-GDP to Rac1-GTP, leading to actin polymerization and protrusion extension. (b) RhoA activation. The Ca2+ sensitive Pyk2 kinase is activated after MS ion channel opening. Pyk2 activates PDZ-RhoGEF which mediates the transition from inactive Rho-GDP to Rho-GTP, leading to Myosin II phosphorylation. Global Myosin II contraction leads to inhibition of cell migration. (c) Chemotaxis. The presence of a chemoattractant agent leads to re-localization of TRPC1 and TRPC6 MS ion channels to the direction of the chemoattractant signal. Localized Ca2+ can regulate actin remodelling via PI3K or induce Ca2+ flickers at the leading edge of the cell, promoting directional cell migration. (d) Focal adhesion (FA) disassembly. MS ion channels regulate FA disassembly via calpain, a Ca2+ dependant protease that mediates FA degradation. Restricted calpain activity at the rear of the cell mediates specific FA disassembly at the back of the cell, promoting cell migration. (e) Yap/Taz nuclear localization. Piezo1 activation is correlated with Yap translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, leading to Yap mediated gene transcription. However, the biochemical signals downstream of Piezo1 have not been identified yet. Dashed line represents unknown signalling proteins.
Many ion channels eg. TRP, Piezo are mechanically sensitive, meaning they can be activated/deactivated by mechanical stimuli such as membrane curvature or substrate stiffness. In this thorough review from the Mayor lab, they discuss how these channels regulate cell migration.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Webster, S., Brynn, R., & Poole, K. (2025). Evaluating the roles of ion channels in cellular force sensing. Journal of cell science, 138(15), jcs264038. #EpithelialMechanicsReview
doi.org/10.1242/jcs....
☕Using #pancreatic #organoids, Lee et al. show that the balance between epithelial tissue permeability-driven lumenal pressure and cell proliferation affects ductal morphogenesis.
bit.ly/4qozmjG
Early-bird deadline to join @jcellsci.bsky.social at their meeting on Imaging Cell Dynamics in Spain in May is Friday 16 January. Apply to attend at:
biologists.com/meetings/jcs...
#JCSimaging
We wrote two reviews on cell migration, published today in Nature Methods.
They provides practical guidelines how to select a cell-migration assay and how to analyze cell-migration data
Review 1: nature.com/articles/s41...
Review 2: nature.com/articles/s41...
Janelia is hiring! "Invent new imaging methods, molecular tools, or protein chemistry approaches"
www.janelia.org/content/lead...
The bot doesn't know what Watson & Crick mean by "suggests", because the entire concept of formulating a hypothesis and doing any sort of thinking is not something a LLM can relate to.
Intercellular propagation of ERK activation and ZO-1 localization to podosomes during collective cell migration.
Translocation of ZO-1 from the apical side of the cells to the adhesive ring of podosomes.
Cell-cell junction proteins like ZO-1 not only play a critical role in the mechanical interaction between cells, but also participate in the biochemical signalling to coordinate the cell sheet. Check out this review on collective cell migration here to learn more: doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
📣Announcing the 4th edition of the EMBL‑IBEC Conference on “Engineering Multicellular Systems”, taking place 11–13 March 2026 in Barcelona. Exploring organoids, mechanobiology, embryo models, organ-on-chip systems, multiomics and more. Abstracts open now!
events.ibecbarcelona.eu/embl-ibec-co...
During these uncertain times, I’m very happy to see that my institution, @scripps.edu has an open tenure-track Assistant Professor position. Any field in Chemistry or Biology is welcome. I’d especially love to see fellow neuroscientists apply. Please repost!
apply.interfolio.com/174756
A new review from the @mayorlab.bsky.social on the chemical and physical cues regulating neural crest cells migration is out. Check it out!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Fish keratocytes isolated from a fish scale crawling around. Technique: DIC microscopy. #CellBiology.
Another #NikonSmallWorldReject
Rainbow shading of a confocal micrograph of a developing mouse neural tube. The protein actin is stained and colored in rainbow to indicate depth in the section.
Happy #FluorescenceFriday! This is a maximum intensity projection of depth shaded actin (🌈) in a section from an E9.5 🐭 neural tube (NT). 🔬 by postdoc @christinaadaly.bsky.social 👩🔬 🧪 Image shows the floor plate and lumen of the developing NT.
#SciArt #DevBio #DevNeuro
We're now recruiting early career group leaders at the Crick to lead ambitious research programmes and explore bold scientific questions.
Hear our Director, Edith Heard, explain why the Crick is a unique place for curiosity-driven research.
Apply now ➡️ www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...
Perhaps one way to evaluate the quality of a research article is to assess its teachability.
Is the article clear about its identifying assumptions?
Does it lay out the results clearly?
Does it engage with its limitations transparently?
The integrin odyssey – a journey full of fundamental discoveries url: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Great to start the day while reading this #integrin odyssey.
If anyone ever wants to brush up on a lot of cell migration concepts don't forget we have several wonderful scientists who have given talks previously in cell migration seminars. I find it so comforting to go look at old videos, maybe someone else who will do as well!!
youtube.com/@cellmigrati...
New preprint alert! The uterus expands ~500-fold in pregnancy, yet we know little about how pressures are sensed. Led by @yunxiao-dr.bsky.social, we show PIEZOs are required for contractions and birth in mice, with dual roles of PIEZO1 in muscle and PIEZO2 in neurons
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How can we use cell shapes and geometry to study mechanics of tissues?
I'm @juliaeckert.bsky.social, and with this thread, I would like to show you the secrets of cells and tissues. Let’s connect biology with a little bit of physics. Don't be scared and get inspired 😀. #EpithelialMechanics
We are excited to announce our new #partnership with the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) in Singapore! 🇸🇬
This collaboration will combine MBI’s expertise on molecular, cell, and tissue mechanobiology with our research on spatiotemporal organization of living matter to understand how organisms form 🔬
A fascinating paper! I think in hindsight, us scientists are all expecting this to happen when we knockout something. But to actually characterise its effects and see it happening in real time is still eye opening. Watch out for Transcriptional Adaptation!
Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it
I did enjoy S1 but found the first episode of S2 pretty underwhelming. I stopped it about two thirds through and am thinking of just tapping out. Does it get better soon (or do we just have different tastes)?
The number of children injured or killed by cars while walking or riding a bike has fallen steadily since the 1970s, but CDC researcher note that this decline is not because streets are safer, but because fewer kids are out and about in the first place.
My team has updated our free database of POSTDOC fellowships.
This database contains 286 entries. For each entry, we provide a link, short description, deadline, amount, and eligibility criteria.
Download this updated and expanded database here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Mechanotransduction in the nucleus
Multiple TFs transmit mechanical forces into transcriptional regulation.
Nuclear shape, size, and chromatin abnormalities are common features of many diseases.
Out now! Our very first paper@crick.ac.uk, an impressive feat by @tobyandrews.bsky.social where we show how a developing heart grows and scales up its morphological complexity to keep beating...an excellent summary below ⬇️
www.cell.com/developmenta...
Brain Surfaces of 70 primate species
1
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Interested in nuclear #mechanobiology? Join us for the first ever FASEB Science Research Conference on the Mechanobiology of the Nucleus #MBNSRC.
Find more information and register at: events.faseb.org/event/Mechan...
Submit abstracts by August 31, 2025. Please share and see you in October!
