ArticlePLoS biology2016
Self-Generated Chemoattractant Gradients: Attractant Depletion Extends the Range and Robustness of Chemotaxis.
Article in PLoS biology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
69 citing papers in PubMed.
- Correction: 'Inference of the drivers of collective movement in two cell types: Dictyostelium and melanoma' (2016), by Ferguson et al.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2026Article
- Communication through autoattractants can enhance and limit collective migration of immune cells.PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Many Cells Make Light Work: Self-Generated Gradients OrganizeCold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2026Review
- A 3D model to evaluate cell chemotaxis within a heterogenic tumor microenvironment.Lab on a chip · 2026Article
- Beyond the chaos: How architecture structures tumour biology.The FEBS journal · 2026Review
- Chemical and Mechanical Regulation of Leukocyte Migration.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2026Review
- Macrophages self-generate and refine chemotactic gradients during migration towards complement C5a.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Physical models of embryonic epithelial healing.PLoS computational biology · 2026Review
- Self-generated chemotaxis of mixed cell populations.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Galvanotactic directionality of cell groups depends on group size.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Cell populations simulated in silico within SimulCell accurately reproduce the behaviour of experimental cell cultures.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2025Article
- Traveling-wave chemotaxis of neutrophil-like HL-60 cells.Molecular biology of the cell · 2025Article
- Approximate Bayesian inference in a model for self-generated gradient collective cell movement.Computational statistics · 2025Article
- Dynamic cluster field modeling of collective chemotaxis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Self-extinguishing relay waves enable homeostatic control of human neutrophil swarming.Developmental cell · 2024Article
- pH-regulated single cell migration.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 2024Review
- Perspectives on Principles of Cellular Behavior from the Biophysics of Protists.Integrative and comparative biology · 2023Review
- Tumour follower cells: A novel driver of leader cells in collective invasion (Review).International journal of oncology · 2023Review
- Local negative feedback of Rac activity at the leading edge underlies a pilot pseudopod-like program for amoeboid cell guidance.PLoS biology · 2023Article
- Semi-autonomous wound invasion via matrix-deposited, haptotactic cues.Journal of theoretical biology · 2023Article
9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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4 authors.
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Abstract
Chemotaxis is fundamentally important, but the sources of gradients in vivo are rarely well understood. Here, we analyse self-generated chemotaxis, in which cells respond to gradients they have made themselves by breaking down globally available attractants, using both computational simulations and experiments. We show that chemoattractant degradation creates steep local gradients. This leads to surprising results, in particular the existence of a leading population of cells that moves highly directionally, while cells behind this group are undirected. This leading cell population is denser than those following, especially at high attractant concentrations. The local gradient moves with the leading cells as they interact with their surroundings, giving directed movement that is unusually robust and can operate over long distances. Even when gradients are applied from external sources, attractant breakdown greatly changes cells' responses and increases robustness. We also consider alternative mechanisms for directional decision-making and show that they do not predict the features of population migration we observe experimentally. Our findings provide useful diagnostics to allow identification of self-generated gradients and suggest that self-generated chemotaxis is unexpectedly universal in biology and medicine.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.