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Migration

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Synonyms

Cell locomotion; Cell motility

Definition

Cell migration can be defined as the movement of cells from one site to another and is a central process in the development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms. The orchestrated movement of cells in a particular direction to a specific location is essential for tissue formation during embryonic development, wound healing, and immune responses. Deregulation of cell migration during any of these processes has serious consequences and can contribute to mental retardation, vascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, tumor formation, and metastasis.

Characteristics

Cell migration (the movement of cells from one site to another) is an essential process for normal development and homeostasis that can also contribute to important pathologies such as neoplasia. For example, one of the major mechanisms involved in tumor cell invasionis cell migration, a process in which cells demonstrating higher invasive capacity typically show higher...

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References

Further Reading

  • (2012) Actin. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, pp 18–19. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_42

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  • (2012) Extracellular matrix. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1362. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2067

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  • (2012) Filipodia. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1407. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2189

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  • (2012) Focal contact. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1440. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2230

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  • (2012) Glioma. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1557. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2423

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  • (2012) Integrin. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1884. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_3084

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  • (2012) Lamellipodia. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1971. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_3267

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  • (2012) Medullary breast carcinoma. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 2199. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_3599

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR MOP-74610).

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Correspondence to James T. Rutka .

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Rutka, J.T., Salhia, B. (2014). Migration. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_3746-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_3746-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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