National Institute of
General Medical Sciences

300035543585271500177710944274988827531PublicAssets/3333Cells move forward with lamellipodia and filopodia supported by networks and bundles of actin filaments. Proper, controlled cell movement is a complex process. Recent research has shown that an actin-polymerizing factor called the Arp2/3 complex is the key component of the actin polymerization engine that drives amoeboid cell motility. ARPC3, a component of the Arp2/3 complex, plays a critical role in actin nucleation. In this photo, the ARPC3-/- fibroblast cells were fixed and stained with Alexa 546 phalloidin for F-actin (red) and DAPI to visualize the nucleus (blue). In the absence of functional Arp2/3 complex, ARPC3-/- fibroblast cells' leading edge morphology is significantly altered with filopodia-like structures. Related to images <a href="https://images.nigms.nih.gov/pages/DetailPage.aspx?imageid2=3328">3328</a>, <a href="https://images.nigms.nih.gov/pages/DetailPage.aspx?imageid2=3329">3329</a>, <a href="https://images.nigms.nih.gov/pages/DetailPage.aspx?imageid2=3330">3330</a>, <a href="https://images.nigms.nih.gov/pages/DetailPage.aspx?imageid2=3331">3331</a>, and <a href="https://images.nigms.nih.gov/pages/DetailPage.aspx?imageid2=3332">3332</a>.Rong Li and Praveen Suraneni, Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchRong Li and Praveen Suraneni, Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchPhotograph