Cell-size distribution in epithelial tissue formation and homeostasis.

How cell growth and proliferation are orchestrated in living tissues to achieve a given biological function is a central problem in biology. During development, tissue regeneration and homeostasis, cell proliferation must be coordinated by spatial cues in order for cells to attain the correct size and shape. Biological tissues also feature a notable homogeneity of cell size, which, in specific cases, represents a physiological need.

Three-dimensional chemotaxis-driven aggregation of tumor cells.

One of the most important steps in tumor progression involves the transformation from a differentiated epithelial phenotype to an aggressive, highly motile phenotype, where tumor cells invade neighboring tissues. Invasion can occur either by isolated mesenchymal cells or by aggregates that migrate collectively and do not lose completely the epithelial phenotype. Here, we show that, in a three-dimensional cancer cell culture, collective migration of cells eventually leads to aggregation in large clusters.