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Related Concept Videos

The Structure of Intermediate Filaments01:19

The Structure of Intermediate Filaments

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 microfilaments (7 nm) and the microtubules (25 nm).  These filaments are highly stable and can remain intact when exposed to high salt concentrations and detergents. These filaments are responsible for providing stability and mechanical support to the cells. They also help in cell adhesion and maintaining tissue integrity.
Intermediate filaments...
Formation of Intermediate Filaments00:57

Formation of Intermediate Filaments

Intermediate filaments are cytoskeletal proteins with higher tensile strength and flexibility than microfilaments and microtubules. Unlike the other two cytoskeletal proteins, intermediate filament formation lacks the enzymatic activity to hydrolyze nucleotides like ATP and GTP to generate energy for polymerization. Therefore, the formation of intermediate filaments is multistep self-assembly. The involvement of any accessory proteins in intermediate filament formation has not yet been reported.
Types of Intermediate Filaments01:31

Types of Intermediate Filaments

The intermediate filaments are an essential component of the cytoskeleton. Presently six types of intermediate filament have been identified. Type I and II are acidic and basic keratin proteins. Type III is of mesodermal origin and comprises four proteins: vimentin, desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and peripherin. Vimentin is commonly found in mesenchymal cells, desmin in muscle cells, GFAP in astrocytes, while peripherin is found in peripheral nervous system neurons (PNS). Type...
Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:18

Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments

Cytoskeletal filaments are polymeric forms of smaller protein subunits. However, individual cytoskeletal filaments may easily disassemble or associate with other similar filaments to form rigid structures. Microfilaments, made of actin monomers, rely on actin-binding proteins to form bundles and create networks of individual actin filaments. Microtubules rely on microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) to form sturdy cylindrical structures. However, the proteins involved in forming complex...
Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:12

Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments

The cytoskeleton is a complex dynamic structure performing varied functions based on cellular requirements. The adaptability of the individual filaments in the cytoskeleton determines their ability to perform various functions within the cell. It can undergo rapid reorganization during processes like cell division or remain stable for several hours as in the interphase. The adaptability of these filaments depends on stringent regulatory mechanisms. The microfilament and microtubules of the...
Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments01:35

Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments

Intermediate filaments (IFs) do not undergo spontaneous disassembly. Enzymes, kinases, and phosphatases add and remove phosphates from specific sites to regulate their disassembly. The IF concentration in the cytoplasm also regulates the disassembly. If the concentration crosses a threshold, it activates the protein kinases in the vicinity, allowing the phosphorylation of IFs.
Keratin proteins, found at the cell periphery near cell junctions, undergo a cycle of assembly and disassembly. In Type...

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Updated: May 23, 2026

Imaging Intermediate Filaments and Microtubules with 2-dimensional Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy
14:23

Imaging Intermediate Filaments and Microtubules with 2-dimensional Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy

Published on: March 6, 2018

Intermediate filaments in small configuration spaces.

Bernd Nöding1, Sarah Köster

  • 1Institute for X-Ray Physics and Courant Research Centre Nano-Spectroscopy and X-Ray Imaging, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|April 3, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Intermediate filaments like vimentin exhibit wormlike chain behavior, as revealed by microchannel confinement studies. This research precisely measures their persistence length and confirms the Odijk confinement regime for semiflexible polymers.

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Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
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Three-dimensional Super Resolution Microscopy of F-actin Filaments by Interferometric PhotoActivated Localization Microscopy (iPALM)
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Imaging Intermediate Filaments and Microtubules with 2-dimensional Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy
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Three-dimensional Super Resolution Microscopy of F-actin Filaments by Interferometric PhotoActivated Localization Microscopy (iPALM)
11:57

Three-dimensional Super Resolution Microscopy of F-actin Filaments by Interferometric PhotoActivated Localization Microscopy (iPALM)

Published on: December 1, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Polymer Physics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Intermediate filaments are crucial for cell mechanics and serve as model systems for semiflexible polymers.
  • Understanding their physical properties is essential for biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To statistically analyze thermal fluctuations of individual intermediate filaments confined in microchannels.
  • To precisely measure the intrinsic persistence length of vimentin intermediate filaments.
  • To validate the Odijk confinement regime for semiflexible polymers.

Main Methods:

  • Statistical analysis of thermal fluctuations.
  • Confining individual filaments (vimentin and actin) in microchannels.
  • Measuring filament deflections and configuration space reduction.

Main Results:

  • Vimentin intermediate filaments behave as ideal wormlike chains.
  • Fluctuations in perpendicular planes were observed to decouple.
  • The Odijk confinement regime was validated for actin filaments over a range of persistence lengths.

Conclusions:

  • Microchannel confinement enables precise measurement of filament persistence length.
  • Intermediate filaments exhibit predictable polymer behavior under confinement.
  • The findings contribute to understanding polymer physics and cell mechanics.