Lecture 5 - Cytoskeleton Flashcards
What is the diameter of microtubules?
24-25nm
What is the diameter of microfilaments?
6-7nm
What is the general organization of microtubules?
Curvy structures that radiate from mitochondrial organizing center (MTOC)
Where is the general organization/location of microfilaments?
Linear bundles beneath the plasma membrane
What is the diameter of intermediate filaments?
10nm
What are the subunits of microtubules?
Tubulin heterodimer, each made up of alpha and beta tubulin
What molecule do all tubulin monomers bind?
GTP
What provides the energy for polymerization of microtubules?
GTP
Microtubules have a (+) and (-). What is the significance of these ends?
(+) end is bound to GTP and is the side that favors additional polymerization. (-) is bound to GDP and this favors dissociation.
What is the primary function of microtubules?
Transport (organelles within cell, along axon)
What end to kinesins move towards?
(+) end: TureKKKK is (+) about the state of the earth.
What end to dyneins move towards?
(-) end: Dying is (-).
By what mechanism do vinblastine, vincristine, nocodazole, and colchicine inhibit cell division?
Prevent assembly (polymerization) at (+) end of microtubules.
By what mechanism does paclitaxel (Taxol) inhibit cell division?
Taxol binds (-) end and prevent the dynamic assembly and disassembly of microtubules required during cellular division.
What is the role of a basal body?
Located at the base of a cilia and organizes an array of microtubules.
What is the pattern of microtubule branching in basal bodies?
9 x 3 (with one microtubule in the middle of the 9 groups)
How many monomers long is a complete turn of a standard microfilament?
14 (37nm)
What is the name of monomeric actin?
G-actin (G for globular)
What is the name of polymerized actin?
F-actin (F for filamentous)
What molecule promotes polymerization of G-actin?
ATP
Which is more stable: microfilaments or microtubules?
Microfilaments
What is “treadmilling?”
Continuous growth and (+) end at same rate of continuous disassembly at (-) end.
What proteins (3) regulate actin polymerization and what is the role in regulation of each protein?
1) Profilin - promotes actin assembly on growing F-actin filaments, binds g-actin and prevents polymerization, functions in ADP to ATP exchange in actin monomers to to prepare for polymerization into F-actin
2) Thymosin - negative regulation by binding g-actin
3) Gelsolin - sever & cap actin filaments, capping prevents addition and loss of actin monomers. Functions in response to Ca2+, pH, and phospholipids.
Where are actin stress fibers located?
Bundled along basal cell surface and terminate at focal adhesions.
What organizes the actin of stress fibers?
alpha-actinin & talin
Where are actin adhesion belts located?
Circumferential actin near apical cell surface
What is the role of actin adhesion belts?
Stabilize cadherin-mediated adherens junctions
What organizes actin adhesion belts?
catenins & alpha-actinin
What actin structure provides a scaffold for intracellular signal transduction?
Adhesion belts
A fungal toxin (and alkaloid) that binds (+) end of actin and blocks polymerization.
Cytochalasins
Amanita mushroom poison, binds f-actin and prevents disassembly of (-) end
Phalloidin
What is the remedy for phalloidin poisoning?
Raw hamburger
Bind G-actin and induces F-actin depolymerization (derived from sea sponge)
Latrunculins
Fingerlike extension at cell surface that increase surface area
Microvilli
What organizes the actin of microvilli?
villin and fimbrin
What causes hereditary spherocytosis?
mutant spectrin
What protein cross-links actin into 2D mesh?
spectrin
Where is spectrin most prominent?
RBCs (erythrocytes), but ubiquitous
What links spectrin to Band 3 and Glycophorin?
Ankyrin
What regulates the assembly and disassembly of intermediate filaments?
phosphorylation
What are the six types of intermediate filaments?
1) Acidic keratins
2) Basic to neutral keratins
3) Vimentin, Desmin, Glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), Peripherin
4) alpha-internexin
5) Nuclear laminins
6) Nestin
What is the significance of cytokeratins?
Change in cytokeratin expression is among the most common markers of neoplasia. All epithelial cells express at least on AK and one B-NK.
List the Type III intermediate filaments and their roles/significance.
Vimentin - mesenchymal, endothelial, and leukocytes. Useful marker of dedifferentiation of invasive cancer carcinomas.
Desmin - skeletal muscle in Z-disk, smooth muscle
Glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) - astrocytes and Schwann cells
Peripherin - neurons of peripheral nervous system
(VDGP)
What type of intermediate filaments run along axons and dendrites and can be greater than 1 meter in length?
Type IV