Question

What are the advantages of having cytoskeletal filaments constructed using polymers?

what are the advantages of having cytoskeletal filaments constructed through protofilaments?

Thanks in advance !!

Answer 1

The advantages of the cytoskeletal polymers are:

1. microtubules give shape to the cilia and flagella in all eukaryotes. Microtubules form the spindles that pull sister chromatids away from one to the other during the cell division(mitosis).

2.Intermediate filaments support the nucleus and nuclear membrane and they provide the cell-structural support and promote the barrier formation in hair, skin, and nail cells.

3. Microfilaments form complex structures by being held together, by which they can organize the plasma membrane.The cell-cortex of the animal cells, is an actin-rich layer under the plasma membrane.

4. microtubules and the microfilaments serve as the transport systems in the cells.

The cytoskeleton is made up of three types of elements. They are microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate filaments.

The microtubules are formed by tubulins. The microfilaments are formed by actins.

The intermediate filaments are composed of number of different proteins.

The three types of cytoskeletal polymers are held together by weak non-covalent interactions. This make their assembly and disassembly occur rapidly.