Chapter 26
The Cytoskeleton II: Microtubules and Intermediate Filaments
![Microtubules](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11906.jpg)
Microtubules are the thickest cytoskeletal filaments with a diameter of 25 nm. In prokaryotic organisms, microtubules are commonly found in…
![Microtubule Instability](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12058.jpg)
Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound…
![Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11909.jpg)
Microtubule function and architecture are regulated by an array of specialized proteins called microtubule-associated proteins or MAPs. These…
![Destabilization of Microtubules](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11910.jpg)
The destabilization of microtubules can occur during different stages of the microtubule lifecycle, such as nucleation or elongation. It can take…
![The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11912.jpg)
In eukaryotic cells, cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network.…
![Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11913.jpg)
Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the…
![Mechanism of Ciliary Motion](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/13108.jpg)
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are…
![Microtubules in Signaling](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12135.jpg)
The primary cilium, made up of microtubules, acts as antennae on the cell surfaces for relaying external stimuli into the cells. These fine hair-like…
![Drugs that Destabilize Microtubules](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/13109.jpg)
Microtubules are dynamic structures and can be regulated by microtubule targeting agents (MTAs). Microtubule destabilizing drugs are a class of MTAs…
![The Structure of Intermediate Filaments](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11916.jpg)
The intermediate filaments are one of three widely studied cytoskeletal filaments. They are so named as their diameter (10 nm) is in between that of…
![Formation of Intermediate Filaments](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11918.jpg)
Intermediate filaments are cytoskeletal proteins with higher tensile strength and flexibility than microfilaments and microtubules. Unlike the other…
![Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/13110.jpg)
Intermediate filaments (IFs) do not undergo spontaneous disassembly. Enzymes, kinases, and phosphatases add and remove phosphates from specific sites…
![Implementation of Interference Reflection Microscopy for Label-free, High-speed Imaging of Microtubules](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/thumbs/59520_t.png)
Implementation of Interference Reflection Microscopy for Label-free, High-speed Imaging of Microtubules
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There are several methods for visualizing purified biomolecules near surfaces. Total-internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is a commonly…
![Simultaneous Interference Reflection and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy for Imaging Dynamic Microtubules and Associated Proteins](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/thumbs/63730_t.png)
Simultaneous Interference Reflection and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy for Imaging Dynamic Microtubules and Associated Proteins
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Several techniques have been employed for the direct visualization of cytoskeletal filaments and their associated proteins.…