L26 - Cell Shape and Cytoskeleton Flashcards
Name some factors which may define the shape of a cell
Adjoining cells
Cell adhesions
ECM
cell functions
Which sub cellular behaviours can change cell shape
Migration
Phagocytosis
Transport
Cytoskeletal dynamics
Give examples of some intermeidate filaments
Keratin, vimentin, lamin
F actin is
Filamentous actin
Describe F actin under cytoplasmic conditions
Very stable and not a large pool of unpolymersied filament proteins since lots of actin is incorportated into cytoplasmic strucutres
Describe some of the strucutres that actin makes within the cell
Cortical actin - around outside Microvilli Flipodia Lamellipodia Podosome Internal stress fibres
What are the three stages in the process to form actin
Nucleation - elongation - steady state
What is the step in actin filament formation which is unfavourable
Initial oligomerisation
Bottleneck
Describe when a saturation point is reached in actin filament formation
When the rate of polymerisation = the rate of depolymerisation
Actin monomer addtion occurs at the
+ end (barbed)
Monomers are only allowed to bind if they have what bound
ATP
Descrieb the role of profillin
Binds monomers and allows phosphorylation increasing the rate of monomer addition at the + end
Summary of actin filaments
Polar filaments
Regulated by direct ATP bidning
Treadmilling
Many accessory proteins involved filling
Describe the role of profillin
Binds monomers promoting nucelotide ech.
Aids with the defliver of monomers to the barbed end
Describe how the Arp2/3 complex acts as a nucleator
Resembles actin so is able to form a startin point for the addition of new monomers
As well as being a nucelator how else may Arp2/3 act
Also interacts with existing filaments to cause branching
Describe the role of gelosin
Acts to cap and sever actin - by binding to the plus end of an elongating fibre and preventing any further growth
Describe the action of a-actinin filamin
Causes bundling and crosslinking which reinforces the strength of the fibre