BIOL 1090 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Tau Protein, Cytoskeleton, Tubulin
26 Feb 2018
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Document Summary
The cytoskeleton: a dynamic network of protein laments that forms the cellular scaffolding as well as transport system for organelles and vesicles. Microtubules: hollow, unbranched tubules of tubulin, outer diameter is 25nm. Micro laments: solid, thin branched (not tubular), actin polymers, diameter 8nm. Functions of the cytoskeleton: structure and support. Microtubules undergo dynamic assembly and disassembly: in vivo, this leads to rapid turnover of most mt"s within cell (half-life is minutes, dynamic instability, shrinkage can occur very rapidly at the plus end (termed catastrophe") Mtoc = microtubule organizing centre = central site for mt assembly. ***centrosome is major mtoc in animal cells: formation of mts is regulated/controlled by microtubule-associated proteins (maps, several different proteins that bind to mts, modulate assembly, function, mediate interactions with other cellular structures (vesicles, organelles) 2 classes of maps: motor maps, 2 main types: kinesin and dynein, use atp to generate force, can move material along mt track , can generate sliding force between mts.
