Collective cell migration

Collective cell motility involves the movements of groups of cells, and the emergence of collective behaviours, from cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. It is an essential process in embryonic development, wound healing, cancer spreading and regenerative medicine. 

Cranial neural crest cell invasion

In a long-standing collaboration with colleagues from The Stowers Medical Research Center, Missouri (Paul Kulesa and Rebecca McLennan) we have been investigating the mechanistic underpinning of the phenomenon of cranial neural crest cell invasion, a powerful model paradigm for collective cell motion. It is also important in its own right because if invasion is not successful, then developmental abnormalities will form. Moreover, as cranial neural crest cells are very similar to some of the most invasive cancers (for example, melanoma), understanding their behaviour may have important consequences for control of cancer.

Using a simple hybrid agent-based model, we predicted the presence of phenotypic heterogeneity, which was then experimentally validated. Moreover, by studying the control of cell movement, we have identified the enzyme DAN as a possible control for melanoma cell invasion.

We have made a number of experimentally validated predictions from the model and are presently extending it to include more details on domain growth and cell-tissue interactions. Moreover, we are developing a mathematical framework in which we can study the hallmarks of collective cell invasion.

Key contacts: Ruth Baker - @email and Philip Maini - @email

References:

• R. McLennan, L. Dyson, K. W. Prather, J. A. Morrison, R. E. Baker, P. K. Maini, P.M. Kulesa, Multiscale mechanisms of cell migration during development: theory and experiment, Development. 139, 2935-2944 (2012).
• L. J. Schumacher, P. M. Kulesa, R. McLennan, R. E. Baker and P. K. Maini. Multidisciplinary approaches to understanding collective cell migration in developmental biology. Open Biol. 6(6):160056 (2016).