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Related Concept Videos

Formation of Intermediate Filaments00:57

Formation of Intermediate Filaments

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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...
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The Structure of Intermediate Filaments01:19

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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...
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Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments01:35

Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments

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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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Types of Intermediate Filaments01:31

Types of Intermediate Filaments

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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...
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Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:18

Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments

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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...
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Generation of Straight or Branched Actin Filaments01:14

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The straight or branched structure formation of actin filaments is controlled by nucleating proteins such as the formins and Arp2/3 complex. Formin-mediated assembly results in straight filaments, whereas Arp2/3 protein complex-mediated assembly results in branched actin filaments.
Arp2/3 Complex
Arp2/3 complex is a seven-subunit complex consisting of two proteins similar to actin- Arp2 and Arp3, and five other subunits that help keep Arp2 and Arp3 inactive. When required, the complex is...
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Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
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Intermediate filament structure: the bottom-up approach.

Anastasia A Chernyatina1, Dmytro Guzenko1, Sergei V Strelkov1

  • 1Laboratory for Biocrystallography, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.

Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|January 18, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are crucial cytoskeletal proteins. This study reveals the atomic structure of the IF dimer, providing insights into their assembly mechanism and three-dimensional architecture.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Intermediate filaments (IFs) are essential cytoskeletal components in metazoan cells.
  • The precise three-dimensional architecture of IFs remains poorly understood.
  • IF proteins assemble through dimerization, forming the basic building blocks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the atomic structure of the elementary dimer of intermediate filament proteins.
  • To elucidate the structural basis of IF protein assembly.
  • To provide insights into the three-dimensional architecture of intermediate filaments.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray crystallography was employed on multiple protein fragments.
  • Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments were conducted on spin-labeled vimentin.
  • Bioinformatic analysis of conserved sequence features was performed.

Main Results:

  • The atomic structure of the IF protein dimer was elucidated.
  • The central 'rod' domain of IF proteins consists of three coiled-coil segments.
  • These segments contain conserved heptad and hendecad repeats, linked together.
  • A model for the tetramer, the next assembly intermediate, was developed.

Conclusions:

  • The determined dimer structure provides a foundation for understanding IF assembly.
  • Structural insights contribute to resolving the long-standing question of IF three-dimensional architecture.
  • The findings advance our comprehension of cytoskeletal protein organization and function.