Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
Published on: May 5, 2022
Linking the synapse to the cytoskeleton: a breath-taking role for microfilaments
Brigitte M Jockusch1, Martin Rothkegel, Günter Schwarz
1Cell Biology, Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 8, D-38092 Braunschweig, Germany. bmj@tu-bs.de
Abstract:
Cytoskeletal elements, in particular microtubules and microfilaments, are essential players in a large variety of phenomena requiring cellular and intracellular motility. To name but a few, they are intimately involved in determining cell shape and adhesion, establishment and maintenance of polarity, locomotion and organelle transport in all eukaryotic cells, including neurons. Here, we would like to focus on the synapse in the vertebrate central nervous system, proposing a model for a specific dialogue between neuronal microfilaments and other protein components in neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity.
Related Concept Videos
Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments
Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments
Introduction to the Cytoskeleton
The cytoskeleton is a network of protein filaments present within the cell, having three distinct filaments ̶ microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. Each has characteristic features that distinguish them, including the dynamics of their assembly and disassembly, mechanical properties, polarity, and the type of molecular motors associated with them. Earlier, they were thought to be present only in eukaryotic cells; however, their homologs were...
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
Studying the Cytoskeleton
Microtubules in Cell Motility
