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  • Actin Filaments: 968 PANEL 16-1: The Three Major Types of Protein Filaments That Form The Cytoskeleton

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    The Three Major Types of Protein Filaments That Form the Cytoskeleton

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    Protein Filaments

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    The Three Major Types of Protein Filaments That Form the Cytoskeleton

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    65 views1 page

    Actin Filaments: 968 PANEL 16-1: The Three Major Types of Protein Filaments That Form The Cytoskeleton

    Uploaded by

    John
    The Three Major Types of Protein Filaments That Form the Cytoskeleton

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 1

    968

    PANEL 161: The Three Major Types of Protein Filaments That Form the Cytoskeleton

    ACTIN FILAMENTS

    ii

    iii

    100 nm

    iv

    25 nm
    Actin filaments (also known as microfilaments) are two-stranded helical
    polymers of the protein actin. They appear as flexible structures, with a
    diameter of 59 nm, and they are organized into a variety of linear bundles,
    two-dimensional networks, and three-dimensional gels. Although actin
    filaments are dispersed throughout the cell, they are most highly
    concentrated in the cortex, just beneath the plasma membrane.
    Micrographs courtesy of Roger Craig (i and iv); P.T. Matsudaira and D.R. Burgess (ii); Keith Burridge (iii).

    MICROTUBULES

    ii

    100 nm
    iii

    iv

    25 nm
    Microtubules are long, hollow cylinders made of the protein tubulin.
    With an outer diameter of 25 nm, they are much more rigid than actin
    filaments. Microtubules are long and straight and typically have one
    end attached to a single microtubule-organizing center (MTOC)
    called a centrosome.
    Micrographs courtesy of Richard Wade (i); D.T. Woodrow and R.W. Linck (ii); David Shima (iii); A. Desai (iv).

    INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS

    ii

    iii

    100 nm

    iv

    25 nm
    Intermediate filaments are ropelike fibers with a diameter of around
    10 nm; they are made of intermediate filament proteins, which constitute a
    large and heterogeneous family. One type of intermediate filament forms a
    meshwork called the nuclear lamina just beneath the inner nuclear
    membrane. Other types extend across the cytoplasm, giving cells mechanical
    strength. In an epithelial tissue, they span the cytoplasm from one cell-cell
    junction to another, thereby strengthening the entire epithelium.
    Micrographs courtesy of Roy Quinlan (i); Nancy L. Kedersha (ii); Mary Osborn (iii); Ueli Aebi (iv).

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