Mayor lab paper shows mechanosensitive channel Piezo1 helps control neural crest migration

While the role of molecular signals, such as Semaphorin, in neural crest migration is comparatively well understood, how mechanical cues control cell migration remains unknown. Here we identified Piezo1, a mechanosensor channel, as essential for neural crest migration, and demonstrated that Piezo1 and Semaphorin interact upstream of the small GTPase Rac1 to control cell migration. Our data describe how effective neural crest migration is dependent on the interplay between chemical and mechanical signals.

Links

• Research paper in Development
• Prof Roberto Mayor’s lab page

Image

The image corresponds to In vivo migration of Xenopus neural crest cells. Time-lapse color-coded projection of neural crest fluorescently labelled. Note the three streams of migrating neural crest in the head. Piezo1 is required for migration along the streams.