The
lamellipodium (plural
lamellipodia) (from
Latin , "thin sheet";
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.
