LIN7-IRSp53: A novel pathway for filopodia and neurite formation?

Filopodia are dynamic, actin-rich finger-like structures that protrude from the cell membrane and play important roles in cell migration and neurite initiation and outgrowth. The insulin receptor substrate protein of 53 kDa (IRSp53) and the mammalian Diaphanous members of the formin family of proteins (mDia) are two key players in the formation of filopodia and neurites. IRSp53 is an adaptor protein that acts at the membrane:actin interface, coupling membrane deformation with F-actin polymerization. mDia formin proteins, instead, can nucleate and polymerize linear actin filaments. Emerging genetic and biochemical evidence indicate that there are multiple and independent pathways leading to filopodium and neurite formation, but the precise molecular components of these pathways remain ill-defined. We recently identified the PDZ domain-containing protein LIN7 as a novel regulator of IRSp53. We further showed that the association between these two proteins is required to promote the formation of filopodia and neurites independently from mDia formin proteins, highlighting novel mechanisms of filopodia and neurite formation.