title: Tissue guidance without filopodia.
abstract: Filopodia are highly dynamic, rod-like protrusions that are found in abundance at the leading edge of migrating cells such as endothelial tip cells and at axonal growth cones of developing neurons. One proposed function of filopodia is that of an environmental probe, which serves to sense guidance cues during neuronal pathfinding and blood vessel patterning. However, recent studies show that tissue guidance occurs unhindered in the absence of filopodia, suggesting a dispensability of filopodia in this process. Here, we discuss evidence that support as well as dispute the role of filopodia in guiding the formation of stereotypic neuronal and blood vessel patterns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology; Vascular Patterning Laboratory; VRC; Leuven, Belgium ; VIB; Vascular Patterning Laboratory; VRC; Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Andrin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wacker
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology; Vascular Patterning Laboratory; VRC; Leuven, Belgium ; VIB; Vascular Patterning Laboratory; VRC; Leuven, Belgium ; Vascular Biology Laboratory; London Research Institute; Cancer Research UK; London, UK.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gerhardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology; Vascular Patterning Laboratory; VRC; Leuven, Belgium ; VIB; Vascular Patterning Laboratory; VRC; Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Li-Kun
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Phng
keywords: cell guidance; cell migration; endothelial tip cell; filopodia; neuronal pathfinding; vascular patterning