{
  "abstract": "Epithelial cells undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) during migration and regain their epithelial phenotype in the post-migration phase (mesenchymal–epithelial transition [MET]). We established an experimental system that reproduces a three-compartment epithelial structure comprising the original epithelium, its EMT state, and its MET state. Keratinocytes (KCs), skin epithelial cells, placed on a microporous membrane, migrated through 3.0 µm or larger micropores. The 3.0-µm-pored membrane induced an epithelial structure with three distinct states: stratified KCs above the membrane, KCs showing EMT within the micropores, and a new stratified epithelium under the membrane. The membrane with larger micropores failed to maintain the three-compartment epithelial structure. Live imaging revealed that KCs moved in an oscillatory manner, with actin-rich filopodia-like structures extending into and out of the 3.0 µm micropores, while the cells migrated unidirectionally into larger micropores. Piezo1 and keratin 6 were identified as negative modulators of KC entry into and exit from the 3.0 µm micropores. These results demonstrate that non-cancerous epithelial cells migrate through confined spaces in an oscillatory manner, which might contribute to the formation of a three-compartment epithelial structure that recapitulates key aspects of wound healing.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan",
    "Research Center of Mathematics for Social Creativity, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan",
    "Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan",
    "Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Takuma Nohara",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9842-4394"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sota Itamoto",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4741-0448"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Junichi Kumamoto"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yosuke Mai",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6356-7192"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mayuna Shimano"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sora Kato"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Hiroyuki Kitahata",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3453-9883"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hideki Nakamura"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shota Takashima"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mika Watanabe",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0075-0851"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Masaharu Nagayama",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4648-5309"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Tsukasa Oikawa",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2694-2699"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hideyuki Ujiie",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3489-5418"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ken Natsuga",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3865-6366"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c8f0m76zbvpcw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.7554/elife.105192",
  "fulltext_url": "https://elifesciences.org/articles/105192",
  "id": "c8f0m76zbvpcw",
  "issns": [
    "2050-084X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://elifesciences.org/articles/105192",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "elife",
      "cell-biology"
    ],
    [
      "elife",
      "stem-cells-regenerative-medicine"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1307|Cellular Mechanics and Interactions"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4407260240",
  "pdf_url": "https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/105192/elife-105192-v1.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-06",
  "publisher": "eLife Sciences Publications",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c8f0m76zbvpcw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T12:20:29Z",
      "native_id": "105192",
      "source": "elife",
      "url": "https://elifesciences.org/articles/105192"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "elife:cell-biology",
      "subfield": "cell-biology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "elife:stem-cells-regenerative-medicine",
      "subfield": "developmental-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatial confinement induces oscillatory migration of epidermal keratinocytes and forms a three-compartment epithelial structure with epithelial–mesenchymal transition dynamics",
  "title_text": "Spatial confinement induces oscillatory migration of epidermal keratinocytes and forms a three-compartment epithelial structure with epithelial–mesenchymal transition dynamics",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:20:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c8f0m76zbvpcw",
  "venue": "eLife",
  "versions": []
}