Nonmotile Single-Cell Migration as a Random Walk in Nonuniformity: The “Extreme Dumping Limit” for Cell-to-Cell Communications

Figure 1

Cell migration is an important factor in physiological and pathological processes. (a) Inflammatory cells can migrate towards a site of interest via the sensing of chemokines and other inflammatory molecules. However, within the blood vessels, they are also subject to other relevant forces such as blood flow. (b) Osteoclast precursor cells are recruited into the tissues, where they can become activated by factors such as receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and cause bone resorption in health and disease. (c) Cell migration is also an important process that allows nonmotile bacteria to attach to surfaces, initiating biofilm formation. Migration of floating bacteria is also determined by important factors such as gravitational forces and flow. In all the above situations, migration is generated by a combination of stochastic (i.e., Brownian motion and random walk) and external forces (i.e., chemokines and flow).

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