PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Arthur Boutillon
AU  - Diego Jahn
AU  - Sebastián González-Tirado
AU  - Jörn Starruß
AU  - Lutz Brusch
AU  - Nicolas B. David
TI  - Guidance by followers ensures long-range coordination of cell migration through α-Catenin mechanoperception
AID  - 10.1101/2021.04.26.441407
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.04.26.441407
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/29/2021.04.26.441407.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/29/2021.04.26.441407.full
AB  - Morphogenesis, wound healing and some cancer metastases depend upon migration of cell collectives that need to be guided to their destination as well as coordinated with other cell movements. During zebrafish gastrulation, extension of the embryonic axis is led by the mesendodermal polster that migrates towards the animal pole, followed by axial mesoderm that is undergoing convergence and extension. We here investigate how polster cells are guided towards the animal pole. Using a combination of precise laser ablations, advanced transplantations and functional as well as silico approaches, we establish that the directional information guiding polster cells is mechanical, and is provided by the anteriorward migration of the following cells. This information is detected by cell-cell contact through E-Cadherin/α-Catenin mechanotransduction and propagates from cell to cell over the whole tissue. Such guidance of migrating cells by followers ensures long-range coordination of movements and developmental robustness.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.