HB-EGF enhances collective cell migration via spatial coordination of traction
Jonah J. Spencer, Emily Rhine, Pamela K. Kreeger, Jacob Notbohm · 2026
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Description
A growth factor speeds the sheet-like crawl of skin cells that closes wounds, Jonah Spencer and colleagues show in 2026. Their study asks how heparin-bound epidermal growth factor, HB-EGF, changes the forces behind collective migration in a wound-healing assay.
Using traction force microscopy on an epithelial monolayer, the team found that HB-EGF made cells move faster and in straighter, better coordinated paths, an effect that depended on phospholipase C signaling. Forces rose both at the sheet's edge and inside it. A theoretical model matched to the data suggested that extra propulsive force in both places explains the faster advance, and images of actin fibers and adhesion sites backed the model. The work ties a chemical signal to the physical push of healing.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Jonah J. Spencer, Emily Rhine, Pamela K. Kreeger, Jacob Notbohm |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 67541 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |