01:146:295 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Neurofibrillary Tangle, Syphilis, Treadmilling

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Cell Biology and Neuroscience
• Course: 01:146:295
• Professor: J.Schjott

Document Summary

Actin filaments are thin and flexible treads approximately 7nm in length. Each filament is a twisted chain of 2 identical globular actin monomers all of which point in the same direction along the axis of the chain (arranged in + and ends). They are held together by multiple lateral interactions between the 2 strands. The actin filaments are more flexible that the micro tubules. The actin filaments are important for amoeboid cell movement (cells can move by rearranging their actin filament) and the division of the cytoskeleton during cell division (contractile rings are made of actin filaments). Adding actin monomers to the + end and removing actin monomers from the end. Alzheimer"s disease was discovered by the german physician alios alzheimer who had a patient who was exhibiting signs of dementia but who did not have syphilis (at the time syphilis was the only known cause of dementia).