cytoskeleton (rus. цитоскелет) — a scaffold or skeleton contained within cytoplasm of a living cell.

Description

The cytoskeleton is a cellular “musculoskeletal” system. The cytoskeleton is composed of proteins. Three main cytoskeleton components are microtubules, intermediate filaments and microfilaments. All of these components are unstable. In a cell, they undergo continual assembly and disassembly, i.e., they are in the dynamic equilibrium with their protein components.

The components of the cytoskeleton are in nanometre scale. Thus, microtubules are hollow cylinders, 25 nm in diameter; microfilaments are two thread-like protein chains, of about 7 nm in diameter; intermediate filaments have a diameter of 8-11 nm.

Illustrations

<p>Microphotographs of cytoskeleton's structural elements.</p>

Microphotographs of cytoskeleton's structural elements.


Authors

  • Grigory G. Borisenko
  • Dmitry D. Zaitsev

Source

  1. Cytoskeleton // Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytoskeleton (reference date 12.12.2011).