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Related Concept Videos

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

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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.
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Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
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Types of Membrane Protrusions01:28

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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.
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Mechanism of Filopodia Formation01:39

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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.
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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...
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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.
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Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Measuring Cell-Edge Protrusion Dynamics during Spreading using Live-Cell Microscopy
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Actin-Membrane Release Initiates Cell Protrusions.

Erik S Welf1, Christopher E Miles2, Jaewon Huh1

  • 1Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.

Developmental Cell
|December 14, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell protrusion initiation requires local depletion of actin-membrane links, not just actin polymerization. This depletion, involving ezrin, is crucial for initiating cell shape changes and may be a universal mechanism.

Keywords:
Brownian ratchet modelactin dynamicscytoskeletonintracellular forcelamellipodiummorphologypolymerizationprotrusionshape change

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Protrusion Force Microscopy: A Method to Quantify Forces Developed by Cell Protrusions
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Micromanipulation Techniques Allowing Analysis of Morphogenetic Dynamics and Turnover of Cytoskeletal Regulators
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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Dynamics

Background:

  • Actin polymerization is known to drive cell protrusion.
  • However, increased actin polymerization alone is insufficient for initiating protrusions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the precise mechanisms governing cell protrusion initiation.
  • To elucidate the role of actin-membrane interactions in protrusion dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of actin dynamics and cell shape changes.
  • Quantitative live-cell imaging experiments to observe protrusion formation.
  • Perturbation of actin-membrane linker (ezrin) affinity to actin.

Main Results:

  • Local depletion of actin-membrane links precedes protrusion onset.
  • Ezrin, an actin-membrane linker, is depleted before protrusion initiation.
  • Modulating ezrin's actin-binding affinity affects protrusion frequency and efficiency.
  • A comprehensive model integrating actin-membrane release and polymerization for cell shape changes was developed.

Conclusions:

  • Protrusion initiation relies on the local release of actin-membrane links, not solely actin polymerization.
  • This actin-membrane release mechanism appears conserved across different protrusion drivers, including intracellular pressure.
  • Findings suggest a universal regulatory mechanism for protrusion initiation, with force generation dictating protrusion characteristics.