Cell Motility Assays
Cell Motility Assays - Related Videos
11:30
A Quantitative Evaluation of Cell Migration by the Phagokinetic Track Motility Assay
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Cited by 18 •
2012
The phagokinetic motility track assay is a method used to assess the movement of cells. Specifically, the assay measures chemokinesis (random cell motility) over time in a quantitative manner. The assay takes advantage of the ability of cells to create a measurable track of their movement on colloidal gold-coated coverslips.
08:52
An Introduction to Cell Motility and Migration
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2023
Cell motility and migration play important roles in both normal biology and in disease. On one hand, migration allows cells to generate complex tissues and organs during development, but on the other hand, the same mechanisms are used by tumor cells to move and spread in a process known as cancer metastasis. One of the primary cellular machineries that make cell movement possible is an intracellular network of myosin and actin molecules, together known as “actomyosin”, which creates a...
07:35
Preparation, Imaging, and Quantification of Bacterial Surface Motility Assays
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Cited by 68 •
2015
Swarming motility is influenced by physical and environmental factors. We describe a two-phase protocol and guidelines to circumvent the challenges commonly associated with swarm assay preparation and data collection. A macroscopic imaging technique is employed to obtain detailed information on swarm behavior that is not provided by current analysis techniques.
02:46
Swarming Assay for Visualizing Bacterial Surface Motility
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2025
Source: Morales-Soto, N. et. al., Preparation, Imaging, and Quantification of Bacterial Surface Motility Assays. J. Vis. Exp. (2015)This video demonstrates a swarming assay using bacteria that express green fluorescent protein to observe surface motility on soft agar. Time-lapse imaging captures coordinated expansion and tendril formation, highlighting bacterial surface motility.
01:59
Motility Assay for Comparing Vibrio cholerae Strains Using Triphenyltetrazolium Chloride
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2025
Source: Brumfield, K. D., et al. Laboratory Techniques Used to Maintain and Differentiate Biotypes of Vibrio cholerae Clinical and Environmental Isolates. J. Vis. Exp. (2017)This video demonstrates a soft agar assay using triphenyltetrazolium chloride to assess and compare the motility of Vibrio cholerae strains by visualizing metabolic activity through red zone formation around actively migrating cells.
FAQs
These processes regulate how cells generate movement, attach to surrounding surfaces, and respond to external cues. Changes in cytoskeletal remodeling can alter migration speed, while adhesion influences the ability to move across or through a substrate. Signaling pathways coordinate these activities, so genetic, chemical, or environmental perturbations can produce measurable differences in motility.
Depending on the assay and measurements collected, researchers can compare migration speed, directionality, and invasion. Speed describes how rapidly cells move, directionality indicates whether movement follows a consistent path, and invasion reflects movement through a porous membrane. Considering these outcomes separately helps distinguish general movement changes from altered responses to directional or physical constraints.
A wound-healing assay measures how cells move into and close a cell-free gap, making it useful for observing collective movement across a surface. A transwell assay records movement through a porous membrane toward a chemoattractant, emphasizing migration under a directional chemical cue. The two formats therefore examine related behavior under different spatial and environmental conditions.
Live-cell imaging allows movement to be followed over time rather than inferred from a single endpoint. This approach can reveal how individual or groups of cells change position and supports measurements such as migration speed and directionality. It is particularly useful when researchers want to compare dynamic responses under different genetic, chemical, or environmental conditions.
A study may track cells with live-cell imaging, monitor closure of a cell-free gap in a wound-healing assay, or record passage through a porous membrane in a transwell assay. Researchers then compare the resulting movement measurements across experimental conditions. Selecting among these approaches depends on whether the study emphasizes dynamic tracking, gap closure, or chemoattractant-directed movement.
These assays support studies of movement during development, immune responses, tissue repair, and regeneration. They also help investigate disease-related behavior, including cancer metastasis and inflammation. By testing genetic, chemical, or environmental conditions, researchers can examine how cytoskeletal remodeling, adhesion, and signaling contribute to altered migration or invasion in biologically relevant settings.