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4 kwi 2017 · The cytoskeleton organizes the cell and keeps the cell’s organelles in place, but it also aids in the movement of organelles throughout the cell. For example, during endocytosis when a cell engulfs a molecule, microfilaments pull the vesicle containing the engulfed particles into the cell.
The cytoskeletal “highways” help provide structure and connection within the cell and between cells. The cytoskeleton influences the shape of the cell and aids in the relay of signals from one part of the cell to another. The cytoskeleton helps cells grow, move, retract, and even die.
The cytoskeleton, the system of protein filaments that permeate the cytoplasmic space of all eukaryotic cells, is primarily responsible for the structural integrity exhibited by a cell and determines its deformation in response to a given stress.
The left image shows the molecular structure of the tube. Microtubules are also the structural elements of flagella, cilia, and centrioles (the latter are the two perpendicular bodies of the centrosome). In fact, in animal cells, the centrosome is the microtubule-organizing center.
The cytoskeleton is a very important dynamic part of a cell, but it is not often shown in simplified drawings. All cells, except those of most bacteria, contain components of the cytoskeleton. They help the cell remain rigid but also help it move and change its shape when instructed to do so.
Some examples: Compare the movement of single-celled amoeba with that of social amoeba like Dictyostelium (a cellular slime mold). Explore how macrophages move in response to signals (toward infection or injury sites).
18.2: Cytoskeletal Components. Most eukaryotic cells look like a membrane-bound sac of cytoplasm containing a nucleus and assorted organelles in a light microscope. In the late 19th century, microscopists described a dramatic structural re-organization of dividing cells.
