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Microfilaments, also called actin filaments, are protein filaments in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells that form part of the cytoskeleton. They are primarily composed of polymers of actin , but are modified by and interact with numerous other proteins in the cell.
The cytoskeleton consists of (a) microtubules, (b) microfilaments, and (c) intermediate filaments. [1]The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. [2]
Developing wood cells in poplar showing microfilaments (in green) and cell nuclei (in red) In biology, a protein filament is a long chain of protein monomers, such as those found in hair, muscle, or in flagella. [1] Protein filaments form together to make the cytoskeleton of the cell. They are often bundled together to provide support, strength ...
Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that form microfilaments in the cytoskeleton, and the thin filaments in muscle fibrils.It is found in essentially all eukaryotic cells, where it may be present at a concentration of over 100 μM; its mass is roughly 42 kDa, with a diameter of 4 to 7 nm.
The anti-parallel orientation of tetramers means that, unlike microtubules and microfilaments, which have a plus end and a minus end, IFs lack polarity and cannot serve as basis for cell motility and intracellular transport. Also, unlike actin or tubulin, intermediate filaments do not contain a binding site for a nucleoside triphosphate.
While cellular processes can be supported by any of the three major components of the cytoskeleton—microfilaments (actin filaments), intermediate filaments (IFs), or microtubules—, lamellipodia are primarily driven by the polymerization of actin microfilaments, not microtubules. [3] [20]
In neuronal axons, the actin or spectric cytoskeleton forms an array of periodic rings [10] and in the sperm flagellum it forms a helical structure. [11] In plant cells, the cell cortex is reinforced by cortical microtubules underlying the plasma membrane. The direction of these cortical microtubules determines which way the cell elongates when ...
The cytoskeleton is a highly dynamic part of a cell and cytoskeletal filaments constantly grow and shrink through addition and removal of subunits. Directed crawling motion of cells such as macrophages relies on directed growth of actin filaments at the cell front (leading edge).
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