Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Cellular length control systems.

Wallace F Marshall1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. wmarshall@biochem.ucsf.edu

Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology
|October 12, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Cellular organelle size control is simplified by studying linear structures. Mechanisms like molecular rulers or assembly/disassembly balance govern length, offering insights into complex 3D organelles.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A role for the <i>Stentor</i> syntaxin protein in post-wound cell survival.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same author

Editorial for special issue "When should mathematical models be used in biology".

Seminars in cell & developmental biology·2026
Same author

Genome-wide analysis of mRNA regionalization in a giant single cell.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

A centrin-Sfi1 myoneme fishnet powers ultrafast calcium-triggered contraction in the giant ciliate <i>Spirostomum ambiguum</i>.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Size-dependent nucleus-vacuole interactions in budding yeast demonstrate a role for steric packing in organelle shape and positioning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Molecular pathways for learning in the single-cell Stentor coeruleus.

Current biology : CB·2026

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Organelle size is crucial for cellular function.
  • Controlling the size of cellular structures is a fundamental biological problem.
  • Linear structures offer a simplified model for studying size control mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how the size of linear cellular structures is controlled.
  • To identify common principles in biological length determination.
  • To apply findings from linear structures to understand 3D organelle size regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of existing studies on linear biological structures.
  • Review of research on prokaryotic flagella, eukaryotic flagella, sarcomere thin filaments, and microvilli.
  • Examination of proposed molecular mechanisms for length control.

Main Results:

  • Two primary mechanisms for length control were identified: molecular rulers and length-dependent assembly/disassembly.
  • Molecular rulers involve comparing overall structure size to individual molecule size.
  • Length-dependent assembly/disassembly relies on the rates of component addition or removal being influenced by structure length.

Conclusions:

  • Length control in linear biological structures provides fundamental insights into cellular size regulation.
  • Mechanisms identified in linear structures are likely applicable to the size control of more complex, 3D organelles.
  • Understanding length determination in simple systems can inform strategies for engineering or correcting organelle size.

Related Experiment Videos