Grant: Project Grant

The migration of group of interconnected cells, a.k.a. collective cell migration, requires the coordination of the movements of each cell. Indeed, if every cell tries to migrate in different directions, the group would not be able to move forward. How this coordination is regulated is largely unknown. Using fruitflies as a model system, our group has identified the enzyme Misshapen as a key regulator of this process. In this project, we aim at understanding how Misshapen coordinates cells and how it is regulated. In preliminary work, we have identified two potential regulators of Misshapen that probably collaborate to promote collective migration. In addition, we have identified a new regulator of the coordination of collective cell migration that might be a target of Misshapen. Their characterization will increase our understanding of collective cell migration. As cancer cells migrate collectively to form metastasis, the work proposed here will give invaluable information about the process of collective cell migration and might identify proteins or processes that might become, in the long run, potential therapeutic targets. Indeed, metastasis being responsible for over 90% of the lethality associated with solid cancers, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutic avenues to block their formation.