title: Cooperative cell motility during tandem locomotion of amoeboid cells.
abstract: Streams of migratory cells are initiated by the formation of tandem pairs of cells connected head to tail to which other cells subsequently adhere. The mechanisms regulating the transition from single to streaming cell migration remain elusive, although several molecules have been suggested to be involved. In this work, we investigate the mechanics of the locomotion ofDictyosteliumtandem pairs by analyzing the spatiotemporal evolution of their traction adhesions (TAs). We find that in migrating wild-type tandem pairs, each cell exerts traction forces on stationary sites (∼80% of the time), and the trailing cell reuses the location of the TAs of the leading cell. Both leading and trailing cells form contractile dipoles and synchronize the formation of new frontal TAs with ∼54-s time delay. Cells not expressing the lectin discoidin I or moving on discoidin I-coated substrata form fewer tandems, but the trailing cell still reuses the locations of the TAs of the leading cell, suggesting that discoidin I is not responsible for a possible chemically driven synchronization process. The migration dynamics of the tandems indicate that their TAs' reuse results from the mechanical synchronization of the leading and trailing cells' protrusions and retractions (motility cycles) aided by the cell-cell adhesions.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0380.
authors.forename: Effie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bastounis
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0380.
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Álvarez-González
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0380.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: del Álamo
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0380 Department of Bioengineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0380.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lasheras
authors.affiliation: Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0380 rafirtel@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Firtel
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics; D000070821:Discoidins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D000070821:Discoidins