Scientists take new step to understanding cell migration
Posted on 6 July 2010
An international team headed by Dr Mark Coles of the Centre for Immunology and Infection – a joint research centre created by the University’s Department of Biology and HYMS – used video microscopy to investigate how cells migrate collectively in groups.
The research, which investigated the science behind the movement of the thymus gland during organogenesis, involved scientists at the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) National Institute of Medical Research in London, Cancer Research UK and the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, as well as researchers in the USA, Germany, Portugal.
They discovered that migration of the thymus, which is a key component of the immune system, involved co-ordinated interactions of multiple cell types, through signals between EphB and ephrin-B2 receptors.
The research is published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr Coles said: “Exactly how groups of cells move around the body is still unknown. But, by studying some of the processes involved in organ migration, we have provided useful information to help us to understand, for instance, how tumours spread and wounds heal.”
Notes to editors:
- The Centre for Immunology and Infection is a joint research centre created by the Hull York Medical School and the University of York’s Department of Biology. Find out more at: www.york.ac.uk/res/cii/index.shtml.
- More information on the National Institute for Medical Research at www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/
- The paper EphB–ephrin-B2 interactions are required for thymus migration during organogenesis appears in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- The research also involved Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, USA; Science Park-Research Division, University of Texas; Instituto de Medecina Molecular, Lisbon; Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, University of Munster.
- For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century.
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