CYTOSKELETON
Frank Candre
Tommy Palm
Vidit Talati
Varun Kumar
Eric Yi
STRUCTURE
Microtubules (Tubulin Polymer)
 Microfilaments (Actin Filaments)
 Intermediate Filaments
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FUNCTION
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Give mechanical support to the
cell and maintain its shape
Important in animal cells
because they lack cell walls
Provides anchorage for many
organelles and even cytosolic
enzyme molecules
Interaction between
cytoskeleton with motor
proteins can assist in cell
motility (cilia and flagella)
Manipulates the plasma
membrane in a way that forms
food vacuoles or other
phagocytic vesicles
Cytoskeletal transmission of
naturally occurring mechanical
signals may help regulate and
coordinate the cell’s response
MICROTUBULES
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Structure: Hollow tubes;
wall consists of 13 columns
of tubulin molecules
Diameter: 25nm with 15nm lumen
Protein Subunits: Tubulin,
a dimer consisting of
alpha-tubulin and betatubulin
Main functions:
maintenance of cell shape
(compression resistant
“girders”), cell motility
(movement), chromosome
movements in cell division,
organelle movements
MICROFILAMENTS
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Structure: Two
intertwined strands of
actin proteins, each a
polymer of actin subunits
Diameter: 7 nm
Protein Subunits: Actin
Main Functions:
Maintenance of cell shape
(tension-bearing
elements), changes in cell
shape, muscle contraction,
cytoplasmic streaming, cell
motility (as in
pseudopodia), cell division
(cleavage furrow
formation)
INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS
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Structure: Fibrous
proteins supercoiled into
thicker cables
Diameter: 8-12 nm
Protein Subunits: One of
several different proteins
in the keratin family,
depending on cell type
Main Functions:
Maintenance of cell shapes
(tension-bearing
elements), anchorage of
nucleus and certain other
organelles, formation of
nuclear lamina
INTERESTING LINKS
Cytoskeleton Explanation
 Cytoskeleton Rap
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