Mikin R. Patel

eLife Assessment In this important manuscript, the authors reveal novel findings on the role of exosomes in regulating filopodia formation. Filopodia are crucial for various cellular processes, including migration, polarization, directional sensing, and the formation of neuronal synapses. The authors convincingly demonstrate that exosomes, particularly those enriched with the protein THSD7A, play a significant role in promoting filopodia formation in both cancer cells and neurons.

Abstract Filopodia are dynamic adhesive cytoskeletal structures that are critical for directional sensing, polarization, cell-cell adhesion, and migration of diverse cell types. Filopodia are also critical for neuronal synapse formation. While dynamic rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton is known to be critical for filopodia biogenesis, little is known about the upstream extracellular signals. Here, we identify secreted exosomes as potent regulators of filopodia formation.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). This article is the second in a series and focuses on the management of IBD. Information relating to symptoms and diagnosis can be found in the first part ‘Inflammatory bowel disease: symptoms and diagnosis’. The primary aims of IBD management is to induce and maintain remission, reduce the risk of complications and improve patient quality of life (QoL)​[1]​.