Growth factor receptor corralling fuels persistent leader-bleb dynamics.

Confined melanoma cells polarize migration by restricting EGFR mobility at the bleb rear, driven by CD44 and ERM proteins, independent of directional cues.

• Why it matters: Understanding how cells establish migratory polarity under confinement is crucial for insights into cancer invasion and metastasis, especially since confinement can independently induce polarization.
• What they did: The authors examined melanoma cells under confinement and found that EGFR mobility is restricted at the bleb rear by diffusion barriers formed by CD44 and ERM proteins, rather than by traditional directional signals.
• The result: This mechanism demonstrates that physical confinement alone can polarize migrating cells, revealing a novel mode of migration regulation that diverges from mesenchymal strategies and may inform therapeutic approaches.