Cooperative assembly of filopodia by the formin FMNL2 and I-BAR domain protein IRTKS

Filopodia are long finger-like actin-based structures that project out from the plasma membrane as cells navigate and explore their extracellular environment. The initiation of filopodia formation requires release of tension at the plasma membrane followed by the coordinated assembly of long unbranched actin filaments. Filopodia growth is maintained by a tip complex that promotes actin polymerization and protects the growing barbed ends of the actin fibers from capping proteins. Filopodia growth also depends on additional F-actin bundling proteins to stiffen the actin filaments as well as extension of the membrane sheath projecting from the cell periphery. These activities can be provided by a number of actin-binding and membrane-binding proteins including formins such as formin-like 2 (FMNL2) and FMNL3, and Inverse-Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (I-BAR) proteins such as IRTKS and IRSp53, but the specific requirement for these proteins in filopodia assembly is not clear. We report here that IRTKS and IRSp53 are FMNL2-binding proteins. Coexpression of FMNL2 with either I-BAR protein promotes cooperative filopodia assembly. We find IRTKS, but not IRSp53, is required for FMNL2-induced filopodia assembly, and FMNL2 and IRTKS are mutually dependent cofactors in this process. Our results suggest that the primary function for FMNL2 during filopodia assembly is binding to the plasma membrane and that regulation of actin dynamics by its formin homology 2 domain is secondary. From these results, we conclude that FMNL2 initiates filopodia assembly via an unexpected novel mechanism, by bending the plasma membrane to recruit IRTKS and thereby nucleate filopodia assembly.