Control of tissue cell movement.
The cytoplasm of migrating animal cells appears to be composed of smaller, autonomously moving units (microplasts). Consequently, the mere act of displacement of a cell calls for the existence of communicating the strategy-issuing cell centers to guarantee cooperation between the autonomous parts. These centers appear to control cell migration in that they "steer" two sister cells along symmetrical or identical pathways. They lead a cell out of the collision with another at the same angle at which they collided and seem to communicate with control centers of other cells because cells can migrate directionally as groups. They even seem to collect spatial data as demonstrated by cells which followed a guiding line and arrived at the intersection between two such lines. There the cells appeared to probe all optional directions before choosing one. Thus the concept emerges that tissue cells are active data collecting and processing organisms. As a further consequence, the question has to be asked seriously whether aging the cancer, both of which appear to involve behavioral defects of cells, are related to reprogrammed control centers of cell movement.
D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D002465:Cell Movement; D002470:Cell Survival; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure