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Intermediate Filaments
Intermediate filamentsgreat tensile strength
enable cells to withstand the mechanical stress that
occurs when stretchedfirst discovered in the
smooth muscle cellsdiameter (about 10 nm) is b/w
that of the thin actin-containing filaments & the
thicker myosin filamentstoughest & durable of the 3
typesthe only one survive under treatment with
concentrated salt solutions & non-ionic detergents
found in the cytoplasm of most animal cellsforming
a network throughout the cytoplasm, surrounding the
nucleus & extending out to the cell peripheryoften
anchored to the plasma membrane at cellcell
junctions such as desmosomesalso found within
the nucleus, nuclear lamina (a mesh of intermediate
filaments)strengthens the nuclear envelope.
intermediat
e
filaments
desmosom
e
connecting
two cells
Microtubules
Microtubuleslong & relatively stiff hollow tubes of
proteincan rapidly disassemble in one location &
reassemble in anothergrow out from a small
structure near the center of the cell called the
centrosome in an animal cellExtending out
toward the cell peripherycreate a system of tracks
within the cell, along which vesicles, organelles, and
other cell components are moved. When a cell
enters mitosismicrotubules disassemble & then
reassemble into mitotic spindlethat will
segregate the chromosomes equally into the two
daughter cellscan also form permanent structures
e.g., cilia & flagellaused as a means of propulsion
or to sweep fluid over the cell surface