Migrating cell collectives navigate complex tissue environments both during normal development and in pathological contexts such as tumor invasion and metastasis. To do this, cells in collectives must stay together but also communicate information across the group. The cadherin superfamily of proteins mediates junctional adhesions between cells, but also serve many essential functions in collective cell migration. Besides keeping migrating cell collectives cohesive, cadherins help follower cells maintain their attachment to leader cells, transfer information about front-rear polarity among the cohort, sense and respond to changes in the tissue environment, and promote intracellular signaling, in addition to other cellular behaviors. In this review, we highlight recent studies that reveal diverse but critical roles for both classical and atypical cadherins in collective cell migration, specifically focusing on four in vivo model systems in development: the Drosophila border cells, zebrafish mesendodermal cells, Drosophila follicle rotation, and Xenopus neural crest cells.
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Cover Image
Cover Image
The image shows two immune cells from a Xenopus embryo squeezing through dense tissue network and making extensive contacts with surrounding cells. At their leading fronts, they show a constriction, suggesting that these cells are encountering physical confinements as they migrate. In green/blue is Phalloidin staining for actin, in magenta is DAPI for nuclei. The small blue circles are yolk platelets, a characteristic trait of Xenopus cells. For further information, see the review in this issue by Le and Mayor, pages 1731–1243. Image provided by Hoang Anh Le.
Expect the unexpected: conventional and unconventional roles for cadherins in collective cell migration
C. Luke Messer, Jocelyn A. McDonald; Expect the unexpected: conventional and unconventional roles for cadherins in collective cell migration. Biochem Soc Trans 31 August 2023; 51 (4): 1495–1504. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20221202
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