Signaling filopodia in vertebrate embryonic development

Next to classical diffusion-based models, filopodia-like cellular protrusions have been proposed to mediate long range signaling events and morphogen gradient formation during communication between distant cells. An increasing wealth of data indicates that in spite of variable characteristics of signaling filopodia in different biological contexts, they represent a paradigm of intercellular crosstalk which is presently being unraveled in a growing literature. Here, we summarize recent advances in investigating the morphology, cellular basis and function of signaling filopodia, with focus on their role during embryonic development in vertebrates.