AIF1L (allograft inflammatory factor 1 like) is an actin-binding protein that plays crucial roles in cytoskeletal organization and cellular contractility. The protein promotes actin bundling and localizes to actin stress fibers, focal adhesion complexes, and the nuclear compartment 1. In podocytes, AIF1L regulates actomyosin contractility and filopodial extensions, with its deletion resulting in increased filopodial formation and decreased contractility 1. The protein interacts with components of the actomyosin machinery including MYL9 and UNC45A, indicating its involvement in stabilizing cell morphology through modulation of membrane dynamics 1. AIF1L expression is tissue-specific, being found in major adipose depots and kidney but notably absent from liver, skeletal muscle, and spleen 2. Functionally, AIF1L appears to regulate ferroptosis in colorectal cancer and is associated with immune-related signaling pathways 3. The gene has been implicated in various cancers, serving as a tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer through the miR-146b-3p pathway 4 and showing altered expression in prostate cancer cells following E2F1 knockdown 5. Despite structural similarity to AIF1, AIF1L knockout mice show no metabolic phenotype, suggesting distinct physiological roles 2.