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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 ]
The cortex mainly functions to produce tension under the cell membrane, allowing the cell to change shape. [12] This is primarily accomplished through myosin II motors, which pull on the filaments to generate stress. [12] These changes in tension are required for the cell to change its shape as it undergoes cell migration and cell division. [12]
The cellular cytoskeleton is a dynamic system that functions on many different levels: In addition to giving the cell a particular form and supporting the transport of vesicles and organelles, it can also influence gene expression. The signal transduction mechanisms involved in this communication are little understood.
The eukaryotic cytoskeleton is composed of microtubules, intermediate filaments and microfilaments. In the cytoskeleton of a neuron the intermediate filaments are known as neurofilaments. There are a great number of proteins associated with them, each controlling a cell's structure by directing, bundling, and aligning filaments. [2]
Micrograph showing condensed chromosomes in blue, kinetochores in pink, and microtubules in green during metaphase of mitosis. In cell biology, the spindle apparatus is the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells.
The cytoskeleton is composed of three distinct filament systems: microtubules, intermediate filaments, and microfilaments (also known as the actin cytoskeleton). It is the dynamic interactions between these filaments that provide cells with unique structures and functions.
Merlin is a membrane-cytoskeleton scaffolding protein, i.e. linking actin filaments to cell membrane or membrane glycoproteins. [10] Human merlin is predominantly found in nervous tissue, but also in several other fetal tissues, and is mainly located in adherens junctions. [11]
Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein is a plasticity protein that in humans is encoded by the ARC gene. The gene is believed to derive from a retrotransposon . [ 5 ] The protein is found in the neurons of tetrapods and other animals where it can form virus-like capsids that transport RNA between neurons.