Cytoskeleton Flashcards
CYTOSKELETON
System of protein filaments in the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell that
gives the cell its shape and the capacity for directed movement.
ARP 2/3 COMPLEX
Protein assembly that nucleates actin filament growth from the minus
end, allowing rapid growth at the plus end and forming a treelike web of
filaments
CELL CORTEX
Specialized layer of cytoplasm on the inner face of the plasma membrane, rich in actin filaments
FORMIN
TREADMILLING
The process by which a polymeric protein filament is maintained at constant length by addition of protein subunits at one end and loss of subunits at the other
PROTEIN FILAMENTS
a linear chain of protein subunits joined end to end, which associates laterally with other such chains to form cytoskeletal components.
DYNAMIC INSTABILITY
the property of sudden conversion from growth to shrinkage, and vice versa, in a protein filament such as a microtubule of an actin filament.
PLUS END (beta end)
The end of a microtubule or an actin filament at which addition of monomers occurs most readily;
the fast growing end
INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS
general term for the fibrous protein filaments (about 10 nm in diameter) that form rope like networks in animals cells
INTEGRINS
Family of transmembrane proteins present on cell surfaces that enable cells to adhere to each other and to the extracellular matrix. These proteins are involved in cell crawling.
SACROMERES
Repeating unit of a myofibril in a muscle cell, about 3.5 micrometes long, composed of an array of overlapping thick and thin filaments
WHAT TAKES PLACE WHEN A SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTS
Sarcomeres become shorter upon contraction the Z disc move closer together and neither actin nor myosin filaments contract.
MYOFIBRIL
MYOSIN
The motor protein in muscle that generates the force for muscle contraction.
STRESS FIBER
