Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
08:12
A Graphical User Interface for Software-assisted Tracking of Protein Concentration in Dynamic Cellular Protrusions
Published on: July 11, 2017
Filopodia as sensors.
1Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0212, USA. heckman@bgsu.edu
Cellular Signalling
|July 24, 2013
Summary
Filopodia act as cellular sensors, detecting environmental cues through their structure and dynamics. This review explores how these actin-based protrusions guide cell behavior and signal transduction.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Filopodia are dynamic, actin-rich cellular protrusions involved in sensing the cellular environment.
- Their roles are critical in neuronal guidance, vascular development, and embryonic morphogenesis.
- Similar structures exist in various sensory systems, suggesting conserved mechanotransduction principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the structure and dynamics of filopodia in detecting environmental cues.
- To explore the role of filopodia in mechanotransduction across different cell types.
- To highlight unresolved questions regarding calcium influx and integrin signaling in filopodia.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on filopodia structure, dynamics, and function.
- Comparative analysis of mechanosensory mechanisms in diverse biological systems.
- Examination of signaling pathways involving actin, integrins, and ion channels.
Main Results:
- Filopodia utilize actin bundles to sense physical perturbations and transduce stress into ion signals.
- Integrins and focal contacts play a key role in anchoring filopodia and coupling mechanical stimuli to signaling pathways.
- Mechanisms of signal transduction vary, involving direct actin-based stress or interactions with microtubules and accessory proteins.
Conclusions:
- Filopodia are versatile cellular sensors crucial for cell guidance and communication.
- Actin dynamics and integrin-mediated adhesion are central to filopodia's sensing and signaling functions.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise roles of calcium and integrin coordination in filopodia-mediated signaling.
Keywords:
Axon pathfindingChemotaxisClassificationContact inhibitionHaptotaxisNeurite outgrowthQuantitative morphologyRho-family GTPasesRufflingMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:39Mechanism 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...
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...
01:31Mechanism 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...
01:09Cell Migration
Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
01:28Types of Membrane Protrusions
The protrusion of the cell surface is an initial step for several cellular processes, including cell migration, phagocytosis, and neurite outgrowth. These membrane protrusions are a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. The most widely observed cell protrusions include lamellipodia, pseudopodia, filopodia, microvilli, invadopodia, and podosomes. These protrusions can be of two types — static or dynamic.
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections with a...
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections with a...
01:13Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...