How Can Cell Clusters Migrate in One Direction While Mechanical Forces on the Cell Membrane Are Balanced?

Many fundamental biological processes depend on cell migration. While the mechanical basis of single-cell motility is relatively well understood, the mechanism by which clusters of adherent cells migrate collectively remains elusive due to the complex interplay among actomyosin contraction, hydrostatic pressure, substrate friction, and intercellular forces.

Recently, we developed a continuum model describing the dynamics of the cell cortex and demonstrated that, even when the mechanical forces acting on the cell membrane are balanced everywhere and at all times, a net unidirectional motion can emerge. Remarkably, this self-propulsion mechanism operates not only for single cells but also for clusters composed of multiple adherent cells. In this poster, we present the continuum mechanical framework underlying this model and discuss the numerical results that elucidate how such spontaneous directional migration arises in multicellular systems.