Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Intermediate filaments are composed of a family of related proteins sharing common structural and sequence features. Initially designated 'intermediate' because their average diameter (10 nm ) is between those of narrower microfilaments (actin) and wider myosin filaments found in muscle cells, the diameter of intermediate filaments is now ...
Vimentin is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is expressed in mesenchymal cells. IF proteins are found in all animal cells [6] as well as bacteria. [7] Intermediate filaments, along with tubulin-based microtubules and actin-based microfilaments, comprises the cytoskeleton.
They are believed to function primarily to provide structural support for axons and to regulate axon diameter, which influences nerve conduction velocity. The proteins that form neurofilaments are members of the intermediate filament protein family, which is divided into six types based on their gene organization and protein structure.
Intermediate filaments are most commonly known as the support system or "scaffolding" for the cell and nucleus while also playing a role in some cell functions. In combination with proteins and desmosomes , the intermediate filaments form cell-cell connections and anchor the cell-matrix junctions that are used in messaging between cells as well ...
Type 1 and 2 intermediate filaments are those that are composed of keratins, and they are mainly found in epithelial cells. Type 3 intermediate filaments contain vimentin. They can be found in a variety of cells which include smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and white blood cells. Type 4 intermediate filaments are the neurofilaments found in ...
The structure of lamins is composed of three units that are common among intermediate filaments: a central α-helical rod domain containing heptad repeats surrounded by globular N and C-terminal domains. The N-terminal is shorter and located at the top (head) while the C-terminal is longer and located at the end (tail).
The term cytokeratin began to be used in the late 1970s, when the protein subunits of keratin intermediate filaments inside cells were first being identified and characterized. [2] In 2006 a new systematic nomenclature for mammalian keratins was created, and the proteins previously called cytokeratins are simply called keratins (human ...
The nuclear lamina consists of two components, lamins and nuclear lamin-associated membrane proteins. The lamins are type V intermediate filaments which can be categorized as either A-type (lamin A, C) or B-type (lamin B 1, B 2) according to homology of their DNA sequences, biochemical properties and cellular localization during the cell cycle.