Cytoskeleton I Flashcards
Establishes cellular polarity
Cytoskeleton
Performs directional migration
Cytoskeleton
Responsible for the formation of the bipolar mitotic/meiotic spindle
Cytoskeleton
What are four major roles of the cytoskeleton?
- ) Establishes cell polarity
- ) Directional migration
- ) formation of mitotic/meiotic spindle
- ) Chromosome segregation
Also responsible for cytokinesis, intracellular transport, exocytosis, and endocytosis
Cytoskeleton
What are the three cytoskeletal components?
-have different distributions in the cell
Actin, Intermediate filaments, Microtubules
Cytoskeletal components have different distributions, this is important for cell
Shape & polarity, and tissue formation
Side that is towards the lumen
Apical face
Side that is towards the basement membrane
Basal face
Are assembled from smaller protein subunits
- Non-covalent polymers
- Dynamic
Cytoskeletal structures
Intermediate in size between actin filaments and microtubules
-more stable-the “tendons” of the cell
Intermediate filaments
Major components of the cytoskeleton and nuclear boundary and functional organization of cellular architecture
Intermediate filaments
Intermediate filaments provide protection from
Mechanical stress
Viscoelastic filaments within cells and at junctions between cells
-Stress absorbers
Intermediate filaments
Intermediate filaments have a role in signaling and controlling gene regulatory
Networks
Do intermediate filaments have any known associated motors?
No
Surround the nucleus, extend to cell periphery, and at cell-cell and cell-ECM junctions
Intermediate filaments
Intermediate filaments are dynamic. They are controlled by
Phosphorylation
What are four main functions of intermediate filaments?
- ) Mechanical support
- ) Cytoarchitecture
- ) Cell migration and movement
- ) Signal modulation
Large family of proteins (~70 genes) including keratins, neurofilaments, nuclear lamins among others. Many disease-assoc. mutations.
Intermediate filaments
What is the basic structure of an intermediate filament?
Two chained coil that assembles to form tetramer
The N-terminal and C-terminal ends of intermediate filaments are globular, and their coiled coil region is interupted by
Linker domains
Intermediate filaments assemble as antiparallel tetramers. In contrast to actin filaments and microtubules, the overall structure is
Not polar
Mutations in lamins cause
Laminopathies
Mutations in keratins cause
Skin blistering diseases
Actin filaments (F-actin) are polymers of the
globular protein, actin (G-actin), that contains a
bound
Nucleotide (ATP or ADP)
Are actin filaments polar?
Yes
In an actin filament, what is the
- ) fast growing end?
- ) slow growing end?
- ) “plus” or barbed end
2. ) “minus” or pointed end
The overall shape of the actin filament is
Helical
Modify the actin filament dynamics and higher order assemblies
Actin binding proteins
Both assembled from globular proteins by a condensation-polymerization mechanism to form a polar structure
Microtubules and actin filaments
The preferred end of monomer addition to actin and microtubules is the
Plus end
What do microtubules and actin filaments have at the growing end?
ATP or GTP cap
Is energy required for polymerization of actin filaments or microtubules?
No
Given all their similarities, are actin filaments and microtubules related?
No
The rate limiting step of elongating the barbed or “plus end of actin filaments or microtubules is
Nucleation
Preferentially added to the barbed (+) end of actin filaments
ATP-actin