The cytoskeleton

Introduction
The loss of a skeleton during nighttime can significantly alter a person's body's structure,
causing changes in external shape, internal organ movement, and difficulty in movement.
Cells, like our bodies, are highly structured with a cytoskeleton network that supports the
plasma membrane, organelles, transport, and movement. In eukaryotes, there are three types
of protein fibers in the cytoskeleton: microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and
microtubules.

Microfilaments
Microfilaments, also known as actin filaments, are the narrowest
type of protein fiber in the cytoskeleton. They are made up of
linked actin monomers, forming a double helix structure. Actin
filaments play important roles in the cell, such as serving as tracks
for the movement of myosin, a motor protein involved in cellular
events like cell division and muscle contraction. They also
transport cargoes, such as protein-containing vesicles and
organelles, through actin filament bundles. Actin filaments can
assemble and disassemble quickly, making them crucial for cell
motility, such as immune system crawling. Finally, actin filaments
play key structural roles in the cell, with a network of actin
filaments located at the cell's edge, linked to the plasma
membrane by connector proteins.
Intermediate filaments
Intermediate filaments are a type of cytoskeletal element made
of multiple strands of fibrous proteins wound together. As their
name suggests, intermediate filaments have an average diameter
of 8 to 10 nm, in between that of microfilaments and
microtubules (discussed below).

Microtubules
Microtubules are the largest cytoskeletal fibers, with a diameter of 25 nm. They consist of
tubulin proteins, arranged in a hollow tube with α- and β-subunits. These dynamic
structures, like actin filaments, can grow and shrink rapidly. They have directionality and
play a crucial structural role in cells, helping them resist compression forces.

Microtubules provide structural support, transport vesicles, and transport motor proteins
like kinesins and dyneins, and assemble into the spindle during cell division, pulling
chromosomes apart.

Flagella, cilla and centrosomes

Flagella, cilia, and centrosomes are specialized eukaryotic cell structures with microtubules as
key components, similar to prokaryotes' flagella structures, but with distinct structures.
Flagella and motile cilia are hair-like structures that move cells, such as sperms, on the cell
surface. Flagella is typically one or a few, while motile cilia are shorter and appear in large
numbers. Both structures share a common structural pattern, consisting of 9 pairs of
microtubules arranged in a 9 + 2 array, which helps move materials across the tissue surface.

Flagella and motile cilia have motor proteins called

dyneins that move along microtubules, causing the
flagellum or cilium to beat. The structure's connections
and coordination enable a regular beating pattern. The
cilium has a basal body, made of microtubules, which
plays a key role in assembly and regulates protein entry
and exit. The basal body is a modified centriole, a cylinder
of nine triplets of microtubules held together by
supporting proteins.

The centrosome is duplicated before a cell divides, and the

paired centrosomes seem to play a role in organizing the
microtubules that separate chromosomes during cell
division. However, the exact function of the centrioles in
this process still isn’t clear. Cells with their centrosome
removed can still divide, and plant cells, which lack
centrosomes, divide just fine.