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Related Concept Videos

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation01:39

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation

Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation01:31

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:12

Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments

The cytoskeleton is a complex dynamic structure performing varied functions based on cellular requirements. The adaptability of the individual filaments in the cytoskeleton determines their ability to perform various functions within the cell. It can undergo rapid reorganization during processes like cell division or remain stable for several hours as in the interphase. The adaptability of these filaments depends on stringent regulatory mechanisms. The microfilament and microtubules of the...
Microtubule Instability02:17

Microtubule Instability

Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated assembly and...
Actin Filament Depolymerization01:19

Actin Filament Depolymerization

Actin filaments (F-actin) are composed of actin subunits. The dissociation of actin monomers can occur from either end of F-actin. The rate of dissociation is faster from the minus-end or the pointed end, where the actin subunits exist with a bound ADP, together known as ADP-actin. The depolymerization of F-actin is aided by proteins, including the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) and cofilin family of proteins, gelsolin, and glia maturation factor (GMF).
In F-actin, the ADF/cofilin proteins...
Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments01:35

Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments

Intermediate filaments (IFs) do not undergo spontaneous disassembly. Enzymes, kinases, and phosphatases add and remove phosphates from specific sites to regulate their disassembly. The IF concentration in the cytoplasm also regulates the disassembly. If the concentration crosses a threshold, it activates the protein kinases in the vicinity, allowing the phosphorylation of IFs.
Keratin proteins, found at the cell periphery near cell junctions, undergo a cycle of assembly and disassembly. In Type...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Purification of the Dendritic Filopodia-rich Fraction
11:51

Purification of the Dendritic Filopodia-rich Fraction

Published on: May 2, 2019

Limits of filopodium stability.

Sander Pronk1, Phillip L Geissler, Daniel A Fletcher

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|July 23, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Filopodia, fingerlike cell protrusions, can achieve arbitrary lengths. Energetic analysis and simulations reveal conditions for filopodia stability, predicting helical actin structures in long, stable forms.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Cytoskeletal Dynamics

Background:

  • Filopodia are dynamic cellular protrusions crucial for cell migration and sensing.
  • Their morphology is governed by internal actin bundles and membrane properties (tension, rigidity).
  • Euler buckling is a theoretical instability that could limit filopodia length.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the energetic basis of filopodia stability.
  • To determine the conditions under which filopodia can achieve arbitrary lengths.
  • To predict the structural organization of actin filaments within stable filopodia.

Main Methods:

  • Energetic analysis of membrane-actin interactions.
  • Computational simulations incorporating membrane and filament fluctuations.

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Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
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Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles

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Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Purification of the Dendritic Filopodia-rich Fraction
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Purification of the Dendritic Filopodia-rich Fraction

Published on: May 2, 2019

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  • Comparison with existing in vitro experimental data.

    • Main Results:

    • Euler buckling does not generally limit filopodia length.
    • Filopodia stability is achievable under specific conditions related to actin and membrane properties.
    • Simulations predict helical actin bundle formation in long, stable filopodia.

    Conclusions:

    • Filopodia stability is not inherently limited by buckling instabilities.
    • Specific physical parameters allow for the formation of exceptionally long and stable filopodia.
    • Helical actin structures are a predicted feature of these elongated filopodia, offering new avenues for experimental verification.