BIOL 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Intermediate Filament, Fibroblast, Root Hair
Document Summary
Topic 6. 1 overview of cytoskeleton & intermediate filaments. Cells are not static they change shape all the time. The cytoskeleton coordinates this process while maintaining tissue integrity. Cells come in all shapes and sizes the cytoskeleton helps maintain that shape. Fibroblast: synthesizes extracellular matrix and collagen structural framework for animal tissues, plays critical role in wound healing. Note: the organization of each type of cytoskeletal network can vary depending on the organism. Cytoplas(cid:373)i(cid:272) if"s found only in vertebrates (have all three cytoskeletal networks): different cell types express different intermediate filament proteins, share common structural properties, function to absorb mechanical strain within cells and in tissues. Examples: keratin in epithelial tissue, neurofilament in neurons. Skin epithelial cells have the highest density of if in their cytoplasm large amount of mechanical stress. Structure: made up of long, twisted strands of fibrous proteins, non-polar, depends on the lateral bundling. One bundle of filament = 8 tetramers (octamer)
