“Molecular Mechanisms of Polarization and Cell Guidance for Collective Migration”

I will be presenting our recent work on how cells coordinate their cytoskeletal and signaling machineries to be able to collectively migrate. Particularly, we have been employing live cell imaging and a HUVEC endothelial cell model to understand cell polarization and guidance. I will focus my talk on an intriguing discovery we made of an engulfed tubular structure “cadherin fingers” that have a critical role in cell guidance and the coordination of collective migration.