Directional guidance of migrating cells is relatively well explored in the reductionist setting of cell culture experiments. Here spatial gradients of chemical cues as well as gradients of mechanical substrate characteristics prove sufficient to attract single cells as well as their collectives. How such gradients present and act in the context of an organism is far less clear. Here we review recent advances in understanding how guidance cues emerge and operate in complex physiological settings.

中文翻译：

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在定向细胞迁移过程中建立和维持梯度的新范例。

在细胞培养实验的还原论环境中，对迁移细胞的定向指导进行了相对较好的探索。在这里，化学线索的空间梯度以及机械底物特性的梯度证明足以吸引单个细胞及其集体。这种梯度如何在生物体的背景下呈现和作用还不太清楚。在这里，我们回顾了在理解指导线索如何在复杂的生理环境中出现和运作方面的最新进展。