Research Information

During collective cell migration. cells migrate in groups, as opposed to as individuals. Collective cell behavior is crucial in healing wounds, tissue morphogenesis, and cancer. Since joining the Peifer lab, I work closely with postdoc Maik Bischoff.  We use a novel collective cell migration model, in which nascent myotubes migrate over the Drosophila testis.  This allows both in vivo and  ex vivo analysis. From Maik’s earlier work we know testis nascent myotubes use filopodia to migrate, and N-Cadherin based cell-cell adhesions to allow cells to maintain contact. They appear to exhibit contact stimulated migration, with small GTPases in the Rho family stabilizing cell matrix attachments on the cell’s free edge, and destabilizing those on cell contacts, thus stimulating migration into the territory not yet covered by myotubes.  We hope to determine which GAPs, GEFs, and transmembrane receptors are regulating small Rho-family GTPases to steer collective cell migration. To achieve this, I combine powerful genetic tools that allow us to knockdown candidates specifically in the cells of interest, state-of-the-art life cell imaging at a spinning disc microscope, and 4D cell track analysis using Imaris.