Exclusive Review Issue: Cellular and Nuclear Biomechanics in Cytoskeleton-Driven Migration and Invasion
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Motility and Adhesion".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 35
Special Issue Editors
Interests: actin cytoskeleton; actin-binding proteins; Rho GTPases; cyclase-associated protein; coronin; plastin; cell motility; platelet biology; endothelial cell biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: skin ageing; cell biology of breast cancer; tissue morphogenesis; LINC complex biology; nesprins; cytolinkers; nuclear envelope architecture; cytoskeleton; cell polarity; cell biomechanics; nuclear migration; lamins; laminopathies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This collection of state-of-the-art scientific review papers explores the intricate interplay between cellular and nuclear biomechanics in the context of cytoskeleton-driven migration and invasion, processes fundamental to development, wounding, immune response, and cancer metastasis. The reviews collectively highlight how the cytoskeleton—comprising actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments—generates forces that orchestrate cell movement through dynamic remodeling and force transmission. These cytoskeletal structures not only drive cell shape changes and traction generation but also engage in mechanosensitive signaling pathways that coordinate cellular responses to external cues.
A central focus of the collection is the mechanical integration between the cytoskeleton and the nucleus, particularly through the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex. These connections enable mechanical forces to be transmitted directly to the nucleus, influencing nuclear deformation, chromatin organization, and gene expression. The reviews will explore how nuclear stiffness, chromatin compaction, and nuclear lamina composition affect the ability of cells to navigate through confined 3D environments, such as during cancer cell invasion, immune cell trafficking, wound healing, and tissue remodeling. Additionally, the collection will address cutting-edge methodologies for probing cellular and nuclear mechanics, including traction force microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and microfluidic confinement assays. Computational modeling also plays a significant role in advancing understanding of how the biomechanical properties of cells and adjacent stroma modulate migration strategies.
By synthesizing recent advances across molecular, biophysical, and engineering disciplines, these reviews aim to provide a comprehensive view of how cytoskeletal dynamics, nuclear mechanics and other cellular components coordinate to regulate cell migration and invasion. The insights gained hold significant promise for identifying novel therapeutic targets to inhibit pathological cell movement, particularly in cancer metastasis and fibrotic diseases, while informing the design of engineered tissues and biomaterials for regenerative medicine.
Dr. Francisco Rivero
Dr. Iakowos Karakesisoglou
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- cytoskeletal dynamics
- nuclear mechanics
- cell migration and invasion
- cell division
- cell motility and adhesion
- mechanotransduction
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