Vimentin enables directional cell migration by coordinating focal adhesion organization and dynamics

Vimentin enables directional cell migration by coordinating focal adhesion organization and dynamics | bioRxiv Skip to main content Home About Submit ALERTS / RSS Search for this keyword Advanced Search New Results Vimentin enables directional cell migration by coordinating focal adhesion organization and dynamics View ORCID Profile Arun P. Venu , View ORCID Profile Mayank Kumar Modi , View ORCID Profile Elena Tcarenkova , Giulia Sultana , Jenny Pessa , Peiru Yang , View ORCID Profile Ujjwal Aryal , Leila Rato , Joakim Edman , View ORCID Profile Yaming Jiu , View ORCID Profile Guillaume Jacquemet , Alexander Minin , Fang Cheng , View ORCID Profile John E. Eriksson doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.02.510295 Arun P. Venu 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Arun P. Venu Mayank Kumar Modi 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Mayank Kumar Modi Elena Tcarenkova 5 Institute of Biomedicine, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Turku , 20520, Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Elena Tcarenkova Giulia Sultana 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Jenny Pessa 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Peiru Yang 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Ujjwal Aryal 4 Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University , 13244 Syracuse, NY, USA Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Ujjwal Aryal Leila Rato 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Joakim Edman 10 University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine and Dentistry , Aberdeen, UK Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Yaming Jiu 6 The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031, China 7 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, China Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Yaming Jiu Guillaume Jacquemet 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland 12 InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, FI 13 Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute , Tukholmankatu 8, Helsinki, FI Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Guillaume Jacquemet Alexander Minin 9 Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow, 119334, Russia Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Fang Cheng 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland 8 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University , 518107, Shenzhen, China Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site John E. Eriksson 1 Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520, Turku, Finland 2 Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, Finland 11 Euro-Bioimaging ERIC , 20520, Turku, Finland 12 InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University , 20520 Turku, FI Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for John E. Eriksson For correspondence: john.eriksson{at}bioscience.fi Abstract Full Text Info/History Metrics Preview PDF Abstract Persistent cell migration requires focal adhesions to assemble and disassemble locally while maintaining global front-rear alignment. The mechanism that enforces this long-range spatial coherence remains unresolved. Here we identify the intermediate filament protein vimentin as a cell-scale organizer that stabilizes focal adhesion alignment during directed fibroblast migration. Using quantitative live-cell imaging, we show that vimentin-deficient fibroblasts lose directional persistence and a complete collapse of global focal adhesion alignment. Quantitative analysis reveals that vimentin stabilizes focal adhesion alignment by constraining angular fluctuations and preserving the periodic bias of adhesion birth across the adhesion field. Loss of vimentin results in smaller, rapidly turning-over adhesions with disrupted orientation. Trajectory analysis reveals a mechanically anchored adhesion state selectively associated with vimentin recruitment, distinguishing mechanical stabilization from biochemical maturation. Super-resolution and iPALM imaging further show that vimentin integrates within the focal adhesion nanoarchitecture near the force-transduction layer. Together, our findings establish that vimentin intermediate filaments impose spatial coherence on adhesion dynamics, converting locally stochastic adhesion assembly, turnover, and disassembly into globally coordinated adhesions and persistent directional migration. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes First, the Title, Abstract, and Introduction have been revised to better highlight our conceptual advance, specifically modeling vimentin as a molecular steering wheel that regulates the mechanical stabilization of focal adhesions during directional migration. Second, we have integrated a newly generated, original AP-MS interactomics dataset. This new data maps the vimentin interaction network in human dermal fibroblasts under both nutrient-starved and nutrient-stimulated conditions. The corresponding raw mass spectrometry data has been deposited in the PRIDE repository (identifier PXD075418). Third, we added new super-resolution interferometric Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (iPALM) data. This allows us to map the precise vertical integration of vimentin within the focal adhesion force-transduction layer at the nanoscale. Fourth, we incorporated a new Gaussian Mixture Model clustering analysis of focal adhesion trajectories. This computational approach allowed us to quantitatively distinguish the mechanical stabilization of adhesions from their biochemical maturation. Sixth, the methodology section has been comprehensively rewritten. This includes the addition of detailed protocols for the new mass spectrometry experiments, data processing pipelines, and dense optical flow analysis. Finally, the author list, affiliations, and bibliography have been updated to reflect these extensive new experimental and analytical contributions. Related supplemental figures and data tables have also been completely revised and expanded to support the new datasets. Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Back to top Previous Next Posted March 28, 2026. Download PDF Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Vimentin enables directional cell migration by coordinating focal adhesion organization and dynamics Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Vimentin enables directional cell migration by coordinating focal adhesion organization and dynamics Arun P. Venu , Mayank Kumar Modi , Elena Tcarenkova , Giulia Sultana , Jenny Pessa , Peiru Yang , Ujjwal Aryal , Leila Rato , Joakim Edman , Yaming Jiu , Guillaume Jacquemet , Alexander Minin , Fang Cheng , John E. Eriksson bioRxiv 2022.10.02.510295; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.02.510295 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Vimentin enables directional cell migration by coordinating focal adhesion organization and dynamics Arun P. Venu , Mayank Kumar Modi , Elena Tcarenkova , Giulia Sultana , Jenny Pessa , Peiru Yang , Ujjwal Aryal , Leila Rato , Joakim Edman , Yaming Jiu , Guillaume Jacquemet , Alexander Minin , Fang Cheng , John E. Eriksson bioRxiv 2022.10.02.510295; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.02.510295 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Area Cell Biology Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (7999) Biochemistry (18706) Bioengineering (14825) Bioinformatics (44339) Biophysics (22551) Cancer Biology (19666) Cell Biology (26834) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13930) Ecology (20965) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25407) Genetics (16144) Genomics (23464) Immunology (18668) Microbiology (42393) Molecular Biology (18017) Neuroscience (93296) Paleontology (699) Pathology (2976) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5083) Physiology (8102) Plant Biology (15964) Scientific Communication and Education (2094) Synthetic Biology (4549) Systems Biology (10214) Zoology (2382)

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