Pseudopod (Pseudopodium): Structure, Types & Functions

Pseudopod (false foot) = temporary cytoplasmic projection for motility or phagocytosis.

Types

• Lobopodia – blunt, broad (amoebae); actin-myosin driven.
• Filopodia – slender, actin-bundle cores; exploration.
• Reticulopodia – net-like, branching (foraminifera); feeding.
• Axopodia – microtubule-supported (heliozoa); prey capture.

Significance

• Cell migration (immune cells, metastasis)
• Phagocytosis (macrophages, neutrophils)
• Development (growth cones)