Bouchet Benjamin P, Akhmanova Anna
Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
J Cell Sci. 2017 Jan 1;130(1):39-50. doi: 10.1242/jcs.189431.
Three-dimensional (3D) cell motility underlies essential processes, such as embryonic development, tissue repair and immune surveillance, and is involved in cancer progression. Although the cytoskeleton is a well-studied regulator of cell migration, most of what we know about its functions originates from studies conducted in two-dimensional (2D) cultures. This research established that the microtubule network mediates polarized trafficking and signaling that are crucial for cell shape and movement in 2D. In parallel, developments in light microscopy and 3D cell culture systems progressively allowed to investigate cytoskeletal functions in more physiologically relevant settings. Interestingly, several studies have demonstrated that microtubule involvement in cell morphogenesis and motility can differ in 2D and 3D environments. In this Commentary, we discuss these differences and their relevance for the understanding the role of microtubules in cell migration in vivo We also provide an overview of microtubule functions that were shown to control cell shape and motility in 3D matrices and discuss how they can be investigated further by using physiologically relevant models.
三维（3D）细胞运动是胚胎发育、组织修复和免疫监视等重要过程的基础，并参与癌症进展。尽管细胞骨架是细胞迁移中一个已被充分研究的调节因子，但我们对其功能的了解大多来自二维（2D）培养中的研究。这项研究表明，微管网络介导了极化运输和信号传导，这对二维环境中的细胞形状和运动至关重要。与此同时，光学显微镜和三维细胞培养系统的发展逐渐使人们能够在更具生理相关性的环境中研究细胞骨架的功能。有趣的是，几项研究表明，微管在细胞形态发生和运动中的作用在二维和三维环境中可能有所不同。在本评论中，我们讨论了这些差异及其与理解微管在体内细胞迁移中的作用的相关性。我们还概述了已证明在三维基质中控制细胞形状和运动的微管功能，并讨论了如何通过使用生理相关模型进一步研究它们。
