Where cells go: Mechanical and chemical cues collaborate to guide them

Living cells respond to biochemical signals by moving toward those at higher concentration, a process carefully mapped out by biologists over the past several decades. But cells also move in response to mechanical forces, such as bumping up against other objects—although the details of that action have been poorly understood. Now, results of a new study, published Nov. 7 in the journal PNAS, reveal that cells use the same network of molecules to react to both chemical and mechanical signals, allowing them to combine potentially conflicting signals into a unified path.

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