CYTOSKELETON

Cytoskeleton

Eukaryotic cells are characterized by protein fibres that are involved in

- Establishing cell shape
- Providing mechanical strength
- Cell Movement
- Chromosome separation
- Intracellular transport of organelles
Cytoskeletal filaments
Cytoskeletal filaments

ACTIN
Cytoskeletal filaments

Structure of Actin
Cytoskeletal filaments

MICROTUBULE
Cytoskeletal filaments
Microtubules are polymers of alpha and beta tubulin
Cytoskeletal
filaments
IFs
Cytoskeletal
filaments
Nucleation is the rate limiting step
TREADMILLING
ACTIN POLYMERIZATION
 Filament treadmilling and dynamic instability are
consequences of nucleotide hydrolysis by tubulin and actin
ACTIN FILAMENT
INTERACTION

Protein tags

Affinity tags: GST, His

CBP, MBP,
Epitope tags: myc, HA,
FLAG
Fluorescent tags:
GFP, YFP, CFP….
Arp2/3 complex

The ARP complex nucleates filaments more

efficiently when it is bound to the side of a
preexisting actin filament branch
that grows at a 70° angle relative to the
original filament
Formins

Formation of actin bundles (as opposed to the gel-like branched

networks) is induced by formins, which are able to nucleate the
growth of straight unbranched filaments that can be crosslinked by
other proteins to form parallel bundles.
Formins are dimeric proteins and each subunit has a binding site for
an actin monomer.
Actin stabilizing and destabilizing proteins
Accessory proteins
Accessory proteins
Cross-linking proteins organize assemblies of actin filaments
 Formin Arp2/3 complex
Actin binding proteins -nucleates assembly and remains -nucleates assembly to form a web and
associated with the growing plus end remains associated with the minus end

Thymosin Profilin
Binds subunits, Binds subunits,
Prevents assembly Speeds elongation

Tropomodulin
Actin subunits
Prevents assembly and
Disassembly at minus end

Actin filament
Tropomyosin
Cofilin
Stabilizes filament
Binds ADP-actin filaments,
Accelerates disassembly

Gelsolin Capping protein

Severs filaments and binds Prevents assembly and
to plus end Disassembly at plus end

Filament bundling, cross-linking, and attachment to membranes

Fimbrin/alpha-actinin, filamin, spectrin, ERM
Microtubules
MTs
Structure of microtubule
MTs
MTs
MTs

RN
Dynamic Instability
MTs
MTs
MTs
MTs
MTs
MTs

MT dynamics
MTs
MTs
MTs
MTs
 centrosome

Gamma-TuRC
Nucleates assembly and
remains associated with
the minus end
TIPs
Remain associated with growing plus
ends and can link them to other
Alpha/beta tubulin dimers structures, such as membranes

Microtubule
Kinesin-13 XMAP215

Induces catastrophe and Stabilizes plus ends and

disassembly accelerates assembly
Katanin MAPs
Severs microtubules Stabilizes microtubules by binding
along sides
Filament bundling and crosslinking
Tau, MAP2, plectin
IFs
IFs
IFs
IFs