Cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to apprehend and adapt finely to their environment. Here we report a new cellular ability, which we term “curvotaxis” that enables the cells to respond to cell-scale curvature variations, a ubiquitous trait of cellular biotopes. We develop ultra-smooth sinusoidal surfaces presenting modulations of curvature in all directions, and monitor cell behavior on these topographic landscapes. We show that adherent cells avoid convex regions during their migration and position themselves in concave valleys. Live imaging combined with functional analysis shows that curvotaxis relies on a dynamic interplay between the nucleus and the cytoskeleton—the nucleus acting as a mechanical sensor that leads the migrating cell toward concave curvatures. Further analyses show that substratum curvature affects focal adhesions organization and dynamics, nuclear shape, and gene expression. Altogether, this work identifies curvotaxis as a new cellular guiding mechanism and promotes cell-scale curvature as an essential physical cue.

Summary Macrophages are best known for their protective search and destroy functions against invading micro-organisms. These processes are commonly known as chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Both of these processes require actin cytoskeletal remodeling to produce distinct F-actin rich membrane structures called lamellipodia and phagocytic cups. This review will focus on the mechanisms by which macrophages regulate actin polymerization through initial receptor signaling and subsequent Arp2/3 activation by nucleation promoting factors like the WASP/WAVE family, followed by remodeling of actin networks to produce these very distinct structures.

During metastasis to distant sites, tumor cells migrate to blood vessels. In vivo, breast tumor cells utilize a specialized mode of migration known as streaming where a linear assembly of tumor cells migrate directionally towards blood vessels on fibronectin-collagen I-containing ECM fibers in response to chemotactic signals. We have successfully reconstructed tumor cell streaming in vitro by co-plating tumors cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells on 2.5 um thick ECM-coated micro-patterned substrates. We found that tumor cells and macrophages, when plated together on the micro-patterned substrates, do not demonstrate sustained directional migration in only one direction (sustained directionality) but show random bi-directional walking. Sustained directionality of tumor cells as seen in vivo was established in vitro when beads coated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were placed at one end of the micro-patterned “ECM fibers” within the assay. We demonstrated that these endothelial cells supply the HGF required for the chemotactic gradient responsible for sustained directionality. Using this in vitro reconstituted streaming system, we found that directional streaming is dependent on, and most effectively blocked by, inhibiting the HGF/C-Met signaling pathway between endothelial cells and tumor cells. Key observations made with the in vitro reconstituted system implicating C-Met signaling were confirmed in vivo in mammary tumors using the in vivo invasion assay and intravital multiphoton imaging of tumor cell streaming. These results establish HGF/C-Met as a central organizing signal in blood vessel directed tumor cell migration in vivo and highlight a promising role for C-Met inhibitors in blocking tumor cell streaming and metastasis in vivo and for use in human trials.

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