Biomarkers to quantify cell migration characteristics

Sangwoo Kwon, Woochul Yang, Donggerami Moon, Kyung Sook Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Because cell movement is primarily driven by the connection between F-actin and integrin through a physical linkage, cellular elasticity and adhesion strength have been considered as biomarkers of cell motility. However, a consistent set of biomarkers that indicate the potential for cell motility is still lacking. Methods: In this work, we characterize a phenotype of cell migration in terms of cellular elasticity and adhesion strength, which reveals the interdependence of subcellular systems that mediate optimal cell migration. Results: Stiff cells weakly adhered to the substrate revealed superior motility, while soft cell migration with strong adhesion was relatively inhibited. The spatial distribution and amount of F-actin and integrin were highly variable depending on cell type, but their density exhibited linear correlations with cellular elasticity and adhesion strength, respectively. Conclusions: The densities of F-actin and integrin exhibited linear correlations with cellular elasticity and adhesion strength, respectively, therefore, they can be considered as biomarkers to quantify cell migration characteristics.

Original languageEnglish
Article number217
JournalCancer Cell International
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Jun 2020

Keywords

  • Adhesion strength
  • Cell movement
  • Cellular elasticity
  • F-actin
  • Integrin

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