cytoskeleton Flashcards
what are the functions of the cytoskeleton?
- helps the cell maintain its structure and organization
- assist with changing the cell’s shape
- reposition internal organelles
- move cell from one place to another
what is the cytoskeleton composed of?
protein filaments within the cytoplasm of the cell
what are the three main protein filaments of the cytoskeleton?
actin(micro) filaments
microtubules
intermediate filaments
what are microfilaments and microtubules made of?
globular proteins that can assemble and disassemble within the cell
what are intermediate filaments made of?
fibrous protein subunits
what is a key characteristic of the intermediate filaments?
they’re a lot more stable than the other two filaments
what are filaments responsible for?
cell movements
- muscle contraction
- movement of cilia
what do all three muscle groups have in common by using which movement?
active contraction
what are the contractile elements of the skeletal muscle cell?
myofibrils
what is the skeletal muscle cell actually called?
muscle fiber
how are muscle fibers formed?
fusion of many cells together making it a multinucleated cell
what is the muscle fiber composed of that contracts in the presence of ATP
myofibrils
what are myofibrils made of?
sarcomeres
what are sarcomeres?
repeating units of cytoskeletal proteins
what is the smallest contractile unit of the muscle cells?
sarcomeres
what unit gives the muscles its striated appearance?
sarcomeres
what is the A band?
middle portion of the sarcomere that contains both thick and thin filaments
what is the H zone?
middle portion of the sarcomere that contains both the M band and only thick filaments
what is the I band?
part of the sarcomere that contains only thin filaments
what happens to the sarcomere as the muscle contracts?
the filaments slide past each other and the sarcomere gets smaller
what happens to the thin and thick filaments as the muscle contracts?
thin: move closer
thick: stay in same space
what happens to the I band and H zone as the muscle contracts?
shorten
what is the sliding filament model?
describes how the thin filaments slide past the thick filaments
what is the sliding filament model?
describes how the thin filaments slide past the thick filaments
what is the contraction of muscle driven by?
ATP hydrolysis
what is actin?
thin filament that also makes up the cytoskeleton
what is myosin?
thick filaments and contains ATPase
where does the hydrolysis of ATP for muscle contraction take place?
ATPase
what is the cross-bridge cycle?
once the ATP is hydrolyzed by myosin, it “walks” along the actin to make the muscle contract
what does the signal for muscle contraction travel through?
T-tubules
once muscle contraction travels through the T-tubules, where does it reach?
sarcoplasmic reticulum
what holds and releases the calcium within the muscle cell?
sarcoplasmic reticulum
The regulation of muscle contraction in response to increased intracellular calcium levels is regulated by what two proteins?
troponin
tropomyosin
troponin and tropomyosin do what in the absence of calcium?
inhibit the binding of myosin to actin