22 December 2025
Cells | Highly Cited Papers Published in 2024 in the “Cell Motility and Adhesion” Section


Cell–cell contact formation, cellular association with the extracellular matrix (ECM), and cell movements within it underlie the apparent, as well as the invisible, spatial and temporal changes associated with many of life’s processes. These processes range from simple resource tropism in unicellular organisms to the complex events involved in the embryonic development of multicellular organisms; they underpin beneficial physiological responses such as wound healing, as well as undesirable pathological episodes exemplified by cancer metastasis. The “Cell Motility and Adhesion” Section of Cells (ISSN: 2073-4409) encompasses studies of molecules, events, and mechanisms in both intracellular and extracellular contexts, as well as those occurring at the cell–cell and cell–ECM interfaces, using a broad scope of model systems (lower eukaryotes, plants, fungi, and metazoans).

You have free and unlimited access to the full texts of all the open-access articles published in our journal. We welcome you to read our most-cited papers published in 2024 below.

1. “Extracellular Matrix Cues Regulate Mechanosensing and Mechanotransduction of Cancer Cells”
by Claudia Tanja Mierke
Cells 2024, 13(1), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13010096
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/1/96

2. “Focal Adhesion’s Role in Cardiomyocytes Function: From Cardiomyogenesis to Mechanotransduction”
by Simona Casarella, Federica Ferla, Dalila Di Francesco, Elena Canciani, Manuela Rizzi and Francesca Boccafoschi
Cells 2024, 13(8), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13080664
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/8/664

3. “Integrins in Health and Disease—Suitable Targets for Treatment”
by Tanja Klaus, Christoph Hieber, Matthias Bros and Stephan Grabbe
Cells 2024
, 13(3), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13030212
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/3/212

4. “Cell Adhesion Molecules as Modulators of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor”
by Irina Kozlova and Vladimir Sytnyk
Cells 2024, 13(22), 1919; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13221919
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/22/1919

5. “Actin Cytoskeleton Remodeling Accompanied by Redistribution of Adhesion Proteins Drives Migration of Cells in Different EMT States”
by Alla S. Ilnitskaya, Nikita I. Litovka, Svetlana N. Rubtsova, Irina Y. Zhitnyak and Natalya A. Gloushankova
Cells 2024, 13(9), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13090780
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/9/780

6. “Differentiation States of Phenotypic Transition of Melanoma Cells Are Revealed by 3D Cell Cultures”
by Fabrizio Fontana, Michele Sommariva, Martina Anselmi, Francesca Bianchi, Patrizia Limonta and Nicoletta Gagliano
Cells 2024, 13(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13020181
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/2/181

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