Crosstalk between clathrin-coated structures and caveolae in cell migration. – CAVEOPIT

Clathrin-coated structures (CCSs) control cell-surface receptor endocytosis but I recently reported that they also pinch collagen fibers from the environment, thus helping cells to adhere and migrate in 3D substrates. CCSs are sensitive to membrane tension variation with a high tension inhibiting CCSs budding. Membrane tension is constantly challenged by factors internal to the cell but also by external factors of the microenvironment such as objects found on the path of cells during migration (eg, collagen fibers) which could impact CCSs dynamics on collagen fibers and thus cell migration. Caveolae are another type of small plasma membrane invaginations which serve as membrane reservoirs that flattens out in the plasma membrane to accommodate abrupt increase of membrane tension. My hypothesis is that caveolae control CCSs dynamics on collagen fibers by buffering membrane tension, thus regulating cell migration.