Chapter 12 Flashcards
What are the three types of protein filaments in the cytoskeleton?
Actin filaments- determines cell shape, provide structural support and form cell projections and cel motility
Intermediate filaments- provide mechanical strength to cells, maintain tissue organization, mitigating impact of external forces on cell
Microtubules- rigid hollow rods that determine cell shape and are involved in cell movements (intracellular transport, positioning of membrane vesicles and organelles, separation of chromosomes, and beating of cilia and flagella)
What is the structure of actin filaments?
Actin is the predominant cytoskeletal protein of cells
Filamentous (F) actin- thin flexible filaments approx 7 nm in diameter and up to several micrometers length
Consist of head to tail arrangement of actin monomers (Globular (G) actin)
F actin can assemble in vitro but it is tightly controlled in Vivo by other proteins
Actin polymerization is reversible
Slide 4 and 5
What is the polarity of actin filaments?
Polarity is not a charge, it means they’re different at each end Pointed end (-end)- slow monomer addition Barbed end (+end)- rapid monomer addition Slide 5
What is ATP Actin and ADP actin?
What is treadmilling?
ATP Actin- associates with filaments more readily than ADP Actin
ADP Actin- dissociates from filaments more readily than ATP-Actin
Treadmilling- Occurs IN VITRO at equilibrium between rate of addition and removal of monomers
Slide 7 and 8
What is the rate limiting step?
What is it catalyzed by?
Initial polymerization of 3 Actin molecules
Catalyzed by formin
can occur anywhere in cell required
Slide 9-10
What are the two major forms of higher order Actin filament organization?
- Actin networks- actin filaments are cross linked in orthogonal arrays that form 3D meshworks (cytoskeletal framework underlying plasma membranes)
- Actin bundles- actin filaments are cross linked into closely packed arrays
What determines cell shape in terms of red blood cells and plasma proteins?
What is glycophorin?
Association of the red blood cell cortical cytoskeleton with the plasma membrane proteins determines cell shape
Glycophorin is associated with actin cytoskeleton network immediately underlying plasma membrane
Spectrin and actin firm the cortical cytoskeleton together
Slide 12
What are microvilli?
Finger like extensions of the plasma membrane that are particularly abundant on the surfaces of cells involved in absorption
Ex: epithelial cells lining intestine
Slide 13
What are Actin bundling proteins and actin network proteins?
Actin bundling proteins- small rigid proteins that force the cross linked actin filaments to align closely with one another in bundles
Alpha actinin- in contractile bundles
Fimbrin- in non contractile bundles
Actin network proteins- have 2 flexible arms that interact with separate actin filaments
Slide 14
What are stress fibers?
Bundles of contractile actin filaments in many cell types allows cell to exert force against the substratum through cell-extracellular matrix junctions
Slide 15
What are the 3 things required for cell movement or extension of long cellular processes?
- Actin cytoskeleton growth and branching atleasinf edge
- Dissociation of focal adhesions at trailing edge and formation of new focal adhesions at leading edge
- Actin cytoskeleton contraction at trailing edge
Slide 17
What is myosin?
What is a molecular motor?
Myosin- a protein that interacts with actin and acts as a molecular motor
A molecular motor is a protein that converts chemical energy in the form of ATP to mechanical energy, thus generating force and movement
Slide 19-20
How does a cell pull itself forward using Actin filament contraction?
Actin filament contraction in conjunction with extension of projections at leading edge through action polymerization/branching, and retraction of trailing edge through Actin depolymerization, allows the cell to pull itself forward
Uses anchoring if actin filaments at focal adhesions
Slide 21
What is the contractile ring in cytokinesis (division of cell into two cells)?
It is a structure of actin and myosin that forms beneath the plasma membrane during mitosis and mediated cytokinesis
Slide 22
What is the structure of intermediate filaments?
Does it have polarity?
Central alpha helical rod with greater variability in head and tail domains
No polarity in IFs!!
More stable than actin filaments or microtubules
Do not exhibit dynamic behaviour
Slide 26