Cells in Action: membrane protrusions in HUVECs (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells)

During angiogenesis, cell-matrix interactions are crucial. The cell matrix structures are involved in migration, invasion and survival of cells throughout the angiogenic process. In this video we can see filopodia and lamellipodia in great detail, thanks to Nanolive imaging's ability to view membrane deformations. These structures are essential for migration, cell-cell interactions, sensing of the cell environment and more. While filopodia appear as long, thin protrusion-like structures that emerge from the cellular membrane, lamellipodia are broad, sheet-shaped structures containing thin and short interconnected actin filaments.