lamellipodium

The lamellipodium (: lamellipodia) (from Latin lamella, related to '', "thin sheet", and the Greek radical pod-'', "foot") is a cytoskeletal protein actin projection on the leading edge of the cell. It contains a quasi-two-dimensional actin mesh; the whole structure propels the cell across a substrate. Within the lamellipodia are ribs of actin called microspikes, which, when they spread beyond the lamellipodium frontier, are called filopodia. The lamellipodium is born of actin nucleation in the plasma membrane of the cell and is the primary area of actin incorporation or microfilament formation of the cell.

==Description== thumb|Figure 1. Lamellipodia are thin-like projections on the leading edge of a cell (Image A). It is a feature of motile cells such as endothelial cells, neurons, and immune cells. The lamellipodia on the leading edge of the cell (green arrows) contain ATP- bound actin and the lamella on the "spike" end of the cell contain ADP-bound actin (red arrow). This allows for a "treadmilling" action to occur when the cell is signaled to move (Image B). Lamellipodia are found primarily in all mobile cells, such as the keratinocytes of fish and frogs, which are involved in the quick repair of wounds. The lamellipodia of these keratinocytes allow them to move at speeds of 10–20 μm / min over epithelial surfaces. When separated from the main part of a cell, a lamellipodium can still crawl about freely on its own.