title: Signaling networks that regulate cell migration.
abstract: Stimuli that promote cell migration, such as chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors in metazoans and cyclic AMP in Dictyostelium, activate signaling pathways that control organization of the actin cytoskeleton and adhesion complexes. The Rho-family GTPases are a key convergence point of these pathways. Their effectors include actin regulators such as formins, members of the WASP/WAVE family and the Arp2/3 complex, and the myosin II motor protein. Pathways that link to the Rho GTPases include Ras GTPases, TorC2, and PI3K. Many of the molecules involved form gradients within cells, which define the front and rear of migrating cells, and are also established in related cellular behaviors such as neuronal growth cone extension and cytokinesis. The signaling molecules that regulate migration can be integrated to provide a model of network function. The network displays biochemical excitability seen as spontaneous waves of activation that propagate along the cell cortex. These events coordinate cell movement and can be biased by external cues to bring about directed migration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Devreotes
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908.
authors.forename: Alan Rick
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Horwitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002633:Chemotaxis; D006801:Humans; D000076225:Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000076225:Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins