Cytoskeleton and Cell motility

By Anshu Singh
Roll no. 9
Sub. biomedical science
Department CISST
What is cytoskeleton?
A microscopic network of protein filament and tubules in the cytoplasm
of many living cells, giving them shape and coherence.

It is not present in bacteria and archea,It extends from the cell nucleus
to the cell membrane and is composed of similar proteins in the various
organisms.
Structure and function of cytoskeleton
● The cytoskeleton of a cell is made up of microtubules, actin filaments, and
intermediate filaments.
● The roles of the microtubule cytoskeleton include mechanical support,
organization of the cytoplasm, transport, motility and chromosome segregation.
● Actin filaments occur in a cell in the form of meshworks or bundles of parallel
fibres; they help determine the shape of the cell and also help it adhere to the
substrate.
● In addition, intermediate filaments can associate not only with the plasma
membrane but also with the other elements of the cytoskeleton, actin filaments
and microtubules. Intermediate filaments thus provide a scaffold that integrates
the components of the cytoskeleton and organizes the internal structure of the
cell.
Structure and function of cytoskeleton
● The cytoskeleton is a structure that helps cells maintain their shape
and internal organization, and it also provides mechanical support
that enables cells to carry out essential functions like division and
movement.
Microtubule
● Microtubule are polymers of tubulin
that form part of the cytoskeleton
and provide structure and shape to
eukaryotic cells.
● Microtubules can grow as long as 50
micrometres and are highly dynamic.
● They are formed by the
polymerization of a dimer of two
globular proteins, alpha and beta
tubulin into protofilaments that can
then associate laterally to form a
hollow tube, the microtubule.
Intermediate filament
● Intermediate filaments (IFs) are cytoskeletal structural components found in the cells of
vertebrates, and many invertebrates.
● Intermediate filaments are composed of a family of related proteins sharing common structural
and sequence features.
● These intermediate filaments are composed of a number of different proteins.
● They all consist of three parts: a “head,” a long rod-like central part, and a “tail.” Examples of
intermediate filaments include vimentin, desmin, glial fribrillary acid protein (GFAP),
neurofilaments, and nuclear laminins.
Actin filament
● Actin filaments (F-actin) are linear
polymers of globular actin (G-actin)
subunits and occur as microfilaments in
the cytoskeleton and as thin filaments,
which are part of the contractile
apparatus, in muscle and nonmuscle
cells.
● They commonly underlie the plasma
membrane and are typically assembled
at the cell periphery from adhesion sites
or sites of membrane extension.
Cell motility
● Cell motility is an essential process involved in a large variety of
biological phenomena.
● Different molecules and pathways have been linked to cell
migration but very little is known about how they are integrated in
time and space to regulate the motility process.
● Tissue formation during embryonic development, wound healing
and immune responses all require the orchestrated movement of
cells in particular directions to specific locations.
Cell motility
Types of cell motility
● Many single celled and microscopic organisms are also motile, using
methods such as flagellar motility, amoeboid movement, gliding
motility, and swarming motility.
● Examining the different types of motility gives us a fascinating
glimpse into the many different ways life forms use to solve similar
problems.
Flagellar movement
● Flagellar movement, or locomotion,
occurs as either planar waves,
oarlike beating, or three-dimensional
waves. All three of these forms of
flagellar locomotion consist of
contraction waves that pass either
from the base to the tip of the
flagellum or in the reverse direction
to produce forward or backward
movement.
Amoeboid movement
● Amoeboid movement is the
most common mode of
locomotion in eukaryotic cells. It
is a crawling-like type of
movement accomplished by
protrusion of cytoplasm of the
cell involving the formation of
pseudopodia ("false-feet") and
posterior uropods.
Gliding movement
● A movement produced as one
flat or nearly flat bone surface
slips over another similar
surface. The bones are merely
displaced relative to each other.
The movements are not angular
or rotatory. Gliding movements
occur at the intercarpal,
intertarsal, and sternoclavicular
joints.
Swarming movement
Swarming typically refers to the
natural phenomenon of many
organisms or agents performing
some group movement, such as
the synchronized migration of
cancer cells, aggregation of
insects, flocking or schooling
behavior of birds and fish, human
crowds and more.
MCQs: -
● What is not included in cytoskeleton?
A. Microtubules
B. Actin filaments
C. Chloroplast
D. Intermediate filament
● Microtubules can grow upto ………….
A. 10 micrometers
B. 40 micrometers
C. 80 micrometers
D. 50 micrometers
MCQs: -
● What type of dimer makes microtubule?
A. Globular protein
B. Obligular haemoglobin
C. Triangular protein
D. Globular haemoglobin
● The intermediate filaments found in hairs & nails are a type of IF protein composed of ………..
A. Tubulin
B. Keratin
C. Vitamin
D. lamin
● What type of cell lacks cytoskeleton?
A. Prokaryotic bacteria
B. Eukaryotic bacteria
C. A. and B. both
D. None of the above
MCQs: -
● Microfilament is made up of …………..
A. Mosaic protein
B. Tubulin protein
C. Actin protein
D. Chitin protein
● A network of microfilaments & microtubules is classified as …………
A. Cytoskeleton
B. Active skeleton
C. Vertebral skeleton
D. Endoplasmic skeleton
● From which organelles microtubules arises …………
MCQs: -
A. Nucleus
B. Centrosome
C. Membrane
D. Cell wall
● Mainly on which part gliding moment occur …………
A. Intercarpal & metacarpal
B. Digital bones
C. Phalanges
D. lunate
● Moving in groups present which type of moment …………
MCQs: -
A. Gliding movement
B. Flagellar movement
C. Swarming movement
D. Amoeboid movement
Answers: -
1. Chloroplast
2. 50 micrometers
3. Globular protein
4. Keratin
5. None of the above
6. Actin protein
7. Cytoskeleton
8. Centrosome
9. Intercarpal & metacarpal
10.Swarming movement
Thank you!