Joining actions: crosstalk between intermediate filaments and actin orchestrates cellular physical dynamics and signaling

Many key cellular functions are regulated by the interplay of three distinct cytoskeletal networks, made of actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments (IFs), which is a hitherto poorly investigated area of research. However, there are growing evidence in the last few years showing that the IFs cooperate with actin filaments to exhibit strongly coupled functions. This review recapitulates our current knowledge on how the crosstalk between IFs and actin filaments modulates the migration properties, mechano-responsiveness and signaling transduction of cells, from both biophysical and biochemical point of view.