Abstract
Cell migration is essential for morphogenesis, wound healing and immune response and plays a major role in cancer invasion during metastasis. Although considerable progress have been achieved in identifying many of the molecular pathways that control cell migration, the role of Ca2+ in this process remains controversial. It is widely accepted that Ca2+ is required for cell migration, however the cellular compartment where is required and its mechanism of action remains unknown. By combining expertise in cell migration (Mayor) and Ca2+ signalling (Patel), we have recently uncovered a novel role for Ca2+ transport by acidic organelles in regulating migration of a highly motile embryonic cell type (the neural crest). This multi-disciplined project will build on these findings to further investigate the role of non-canonical Ca2+ signaling in cell migration. It does so through training in a number of molecular, cellular and pharmacological approaches applied both in vitro and in vivo, during development.
References
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