College of Arts & Sciences

Nicholas Sookhoo

College of Arts & Sciences Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan J. Petrie

Reprogramming of cellular geography by the matrix

Cell migration is crucial in development, wound healing, and cancer cell metastasis. The dimensionality of the extracellular matrix governs the molecular mechanisms used by the cell to move. Currently the orientation of the cell when moving from 2D to 3D is unclear. I hypothesize that cell orientation when moving from 2D-3D is not conserved, suggesting the traditional model for 2D cell motility doesn’t apply to 3D matrices. SEPT7 is a cytoskeletal protein that helps initiate the formation of the leading edge in cells migrating on 2D. Establishing how SEPT7 re-localizes within the cell as it moves from 2D to 3D will reveal the fate of the leading edge and dimension-dependent changes to cell orientation. We theorize that SEPT7 localizes differently in cells in 3D since arp2/3 activity is regulated by matrix dimensionality. Understanding how SEPT7 re-localizes cells moving in 3D will help us understand how the matrix reprograms cell behavior. We speculate if any changes are discovered in the distribution of SEPT7, migratory plasticity would be dependent on SEPT7 localization. Discerning the mechanistic changes that drive migration in diverse settings will help us control cancer cell migration in vivo and provide therapeutic benefits.