Related topics: cells

Molecular tug-of-war gives cells their shape

In a new study, University of Maryland researchers have demystified the process by which cells receive their shape—and it all starts with a protein called actin.

Undergrad publishes theory on immune dysfunction in space

It's been known for decades that though astronauts' immune systems become suppressed in space, leaving them vulnerable to disease, the exact mechanisms of immune dysfunction have remained a mystery. Now a Cornell undergraduate ...

Researchers unravel cell biology through artificial intelligence

For our cells to proliferate, differentiate or migrate, the nucleus needs the help of its cytoskeleton, the scaffold surrounding the nucleus which provides cells with shape and solid structure. The disruption of this strong ...

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Cytoskeleton

The cytoskeleton (also CSK) is a cellular "scaffolding" or "skeleton" contained within a cell's cytoplasm and is made out of protein. The cytoskeleton is present in all cells; it was once thought to be unique to eukaryotes, but recent research has identified the prokaryotic cytoskeleton. It has structures such as flagella, cilia and lamellipodia and plays important roles in both intracellular transport (the movement of vesicles and organelles, for example) and cellular division. In 1903 Nikolai K Koltsov proposed that the shape of cells was determined by a network of tubules which he termed the cytoskeleton. The concept of a protein mosaic that dynamically coordinated cytoplasmic biochemistry was proposed by Rudolph Peters in 1929 while the term (cytosquelette, in French) was first introduced by French embryologist Paul Wintrebert in 1931.

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