Biochemistry 3381A Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Intermediate Filament, Monomer, Keratin

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Prominent in the cytoplasm of cells that are subject to mechanical stress. All filaments have a conserved alpha domain and an amino and carboxyl end. Monomer (with no nucleotide binding site) pairs with another monomer to form a dimer in which the alpha domains are aligned in parallel and wound together into a coiled-coil. 2 dimers associate in an antiparallel way to form a staggered tetramer (4 polypeptides) The intermediate filaments lack overall structural polarity. Easy to bend and extremely difficult to break. Multiple cell can produce many types of keratins which copolymerize into a single network. Provides mechanical strength to epithelial tissues by anchoring the intermediate filaments at sites of cell-cell contact. Cell matrix cross-linked keratin networks held together by disulfide bonds can survive even the death of cells, forming tough coverings. Defective keratins are expressed in the basal cell layer of the epidermis. Defective intermediate filaments lack both the n- and c-terminal domains.

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