Cytoskeleton Filaments
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Top Contributors - Lucinda hampton and Vidya Acharya
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Within all eukaryotic cells there exists a network of filaments that play an important role in the functioning of the cell. They help cells maintain their shape and internal structure and mechanical support, enabling cells to carry out basic functions like division and movement.
Filament Types[edit | edit source]
There are three types of filaments make up the cytoskeleton:
Actin filaments occur in a cell in the form of meshworks or bundles of parallel fibres. They help in controlling the shape of the cell and also adhere the cell to the substrate. These filaments are constantly rearranging, helping move the cell and bring about specific activities within it eg cell cleavage during mitosis.
Microtubules are longer filaments that are constantly assembling and disassembling; they play a crucial role in moving the daughter chromosomes to the newly forming daughter cells during mitosis, and bundles of microtubules form the cilia and flagella found in protozoans and in the cells of some multicellular animals.
Intermediate filaments, in contrast to actin filaments and microtubules, are very stable structures that form the true skeleton of the cell. They anchor the nucleus and position it within the cell, and they give the cell its elastic properties and its ability to withstand tension
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