Functional Data Clustering of Filopodia Dynamics

Five recurrent dynamic extension modes were identified from 60 basal filopodia trajectories in the fruit fly dorsal thorax, capturing distinct temporal patterns linked to length and rate variations.

• Why it matters: Notch signaling depends on long-range cell-cell communication via filopodia, but how Notch activation relates to the full temporal mechanics of filopodia remains unclear.
• What they did: Filopodia length profiles were smoothed with cubic B-splines, reduced to dominant functional principal components, then clustered using trimmed K-means after explaining 94.29% of trajectory variation with the first four components.
• The result: The modes imply that while length and extension/retraction rates drive most structural variation, specific combinations of these dynamics yield distinct temporal profiles for future testing of productive Notch activation.

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