{
  "id": 5284778,
  "title": "The filopodial scaffold polyphosphate dictates cell adhesion-versus-invasion decisions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/the-filopodial-scaffold-polyphosphate-dictates-cell-adhesion-versus",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.747915v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is an ancient polymer found in all living organisms, each utilizing it for specific functions in distinct cellular compartments. However, the role of polyP at the plasma membrane, where it accumulates in significant amounts in primary cells, remains largely unexplored. Researchers have now identified polyP as a crucial stabilizing element in filopodia, the actin-based membrane protrusions that regulate cell adhesion, contact inhibition, and chemotaxis. By increasing cellular polyP levels, filopodial stability is enhanced, leading to improved cell adhesion; conversely, decreasing polyP levels accelerates filopodial disassembly and promotes cell migration. Mechanistically, polyP functions as a structural scaffold within filopodia, recruiting and organizing IRSp53, a protein responsible for inducing membrane curvature. Metastatic fibroblasts and breast cancer organoids exhibit markedly lower polyP levels and an intracellular reorganization compared to their non-transformed counterparts. Restoring endogenous polyP levels using lipid nanoparticle delivery suppresses invasive phenotypes and reverses the expression of genes associated with metastasis. These findings suggest that polyP, as a primordial tumor suppressor, plays a critical role in dictating the balance between cell adhesion and invasion.",
  "summary": "Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is an ancient polymer conserved across all life, serving cell type and location specific functions in every major compartment. Yet its role at the plasma membrane, where it accumulates to peak levels in many primary cells, is largely unknown. Here we identify polyP as a stabilizing component of filopodia, actin based membrane protrusions that govern cell adhesion,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}