https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-025-00539-7
Research - Living Systems
Electric field intensity modulates keratocyte migration without altering turning dynamics
1
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique (LIPhy), Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, 38000, Grenoble, France
2
Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, University of Bordeaux, 33000, Bordeaux, France
3
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 08544, Princeton, NJ, USA
4
SYMBIOSE Lab, CIRMAP, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
a
eloina.corradi@u-bordeaux.fr
b
martial.balland@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr
Received:
19
July
2025
Accepted:
27
November
2025
Published online:
20
December
2025
Cell migration is a cornerstone of biological systems, enabling organisms to adapt to environmental stimuli and maintain homeostasis. Disruptions in this process can lead to functional impairment or system failure. In many cases, cells do not move randomly; instead, they migrate directionally in response to external cues, allowing them to perform essential biological functions. This directed movement is especially important in processes such as morphogenesis, cancer invasion, and wound healing. To unravel the complexities of directional cell migration, investigating natural guiding stimuli is crucial. Among these, electrical fields stand out as precise and physiologically relevant stimulus. Using a platform designed to apply programmable electric fields, the SCHEEPDOG device, we applied controlled electric field of varying intensities to keratocytes and quantitatively analyzed their migratory behavior. Our findings reveal that electric field stimulation not only induces robust directional migration but also enhances migration speed in an intensity-dependent manner. Additionally, cells initially moving in random directions gradually align with the field vector, with higher intensities accelerating the alignment. Intriguingly, while both speed and alignment time can be modulated through stimulation, the overall shape of migration trajectories remains unchanged. In other terms, for cells initially moving to the opposite direction of the field, the alignment is accompanied by making a turn and the size and shape of this turn are not affected by the magnitude of the electrical stimulation. Together, these results demonstrate that electrical stimulation can tune the speed and directional alignment of keratocyte migration without altering turning dynamics. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of electrotaxis and offers new insights into how biophysical cues regulate cell migration in both physiological and pathological contexts.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-025-00539-7.
Copyright comment Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
