Cell migration involves the coordinated action of numerous proteins in response to a variety of soluble and physical guidance queues. Changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) topography can affect cell migration. Cancer cells, for example, are able to migrate more efficiently along fibril-like ECM structures. Andrew Doyle, Ken Yamada and colleagues have previously shown that this effect can be mimicked by migration on one-dimensional fibrillar substrates in vitro. On page , they now address the question of how the fibrillar topography enhances migration efficiency. They find that the protrusion–retraction cycle frequency is higher on one-compared with two-dimensional substrates, which enhances cell protrusion and migration rates. Furthermore, the microenvironment affects the stability of cell adhesions: cells on one-dimensional fibrils exhibit primarily mature adhesions and virtually no nascent adhesions. The analysis of a number of adhesion proteins confirms that the adhesions at the leading edge of a cell on one-dimensional substrates are more stable, and paxillin, vinculin and actin are more strongly associated with these adhesions. Importantly, myosin IIA is crucial for stabilising adhesions during one-dimensional migration, and loss of the contractile force inhibits the increase in migration rate on fibrillar substrates.
