BIOL 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Ultimate Tensile Strength, Mesh Networking, Polymerization
Document Summary
E. g. complex structure of neurons & tissue specific shape of muscle cells. E. g. each organelle has its own place (which goes to the top or to the bottom: cell import and export things constantly. E. g. immune cells move towards the wound. Cellular skeleton tensegrity structure: a complex mesh network, tension in each of the elements keep the cell in shape, 3 major components, a polymer systems (i. e. filaments are made of protein polymers, actin filaments/microfilaments. Mostly studied, first discovered filaments, involved in many cellular functions. Made of alpha and beta subunits, always a dimer. Very stiff and resistant to compression (lengthwise) Actin filaments: also an atpase (e. g. in muscle contraction, core protein behind all cell motility, major component of muscle, first discovered and purified from muscle cells, polymerize into helix structure. The helix is different at its positive and negative end, due to actin polarity. Different arrangement of actin at different intracellular locations: provides different functions.
