Overview
- A Nature Communications study from OHSU finds cells create internal fluid streams that push proteins to the leading edge.
- These streams operate in a front compartment bounded by an actin‑myosin protein barrier that works like a wall to steer material to advancing edges.
- The flows move actin and many other proteins as a bulk stream that delivers cargo much faster than diffusion and supports rapid movement and repair.
- The team tracked the currents with a new fluorescence test called FLOP and with iPALM, a super‑resolution microscope that revealed the compartments.
- The authors say this mechanism may help explain why some cancer cells migrate so aggressively and could point to ways to slow tumor spread without harming healthy cells.