cytoskeleton

Also known as CSK, GO:0005856

thumb|right|300px|The cytoskeleton consists of (a) microtubules, (b) microfilaments, and (c) intermediate filaments.

AI overview

The cytoskeleton is a network of protein structures inside cells made up of microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments that gives cells their shape and organization. It matters because these structures help cells maintain their form and enable internal movement and transport within the cell.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

150,106 papers

Overview of the Cytoskeleton from an Evolutionary Perspective.ReviewCold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2018Pollard TD, Goldman RDDOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a030288
Roles of cytoskeleton in metastasis: from its mechanism to therapeutic strategies.ReviewExperimental & molecular medicine · 2026Lim S, Woo S, Lee KW et al.DOI: 10.1038/s12276-025-01608-9
The Cytoskeleton and Its Roles in Self-Organization Phenomena: Insights from Xenopus Egg Extracts.ReviewCells · 2021Geisterfer ZM, Guilloux G, Gatlin JC et al.DOI: 10.3390/cells10092197
Cytoskeleton of mollicutes.ReviewJournal of molecular microbiology and biotechnology · 2006Miyata M, Ogaki HDOI: 10.1159/000094059
The cytoskeleton of trypanosomatid parasites.ReviewAnnual review of microbiology · 1999Gull KDOI: 10.1146/annurev.micro.53.1.629
The cytoskeleton and neurite initiation.ReviewBioarchitecture · 2013Flynn KCDOI: 10.4161/bioa.26259
The Role of Host Cytoskeleton in Flavivirus Infection.ReviewVirologica Sinica · 2019Zhang Y, Gao W, Li J et al.DOI: 10.1007/s12250-019-00086-4
The evolution of the cytoskeleton.ReviewThe Journal of cell biology · 2011Wickstead B, Gull KDOI: 10.1083/jcb.201102065

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Show 2 more facts

Commons category: Cytoskeleton
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GO_0005856

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~23 min read

Article

20 sections

Contents

History
Eukaryotic cytoskeleton
Microfilaments
Intermediate filaments
Microtubules
Comparison
Septins
Spectrin
Yeast cytoskeleton
Prokaryotic cytoskeleton
FtsZ
MreB and ParM
Crescentin
The cytoskeleton and cell mechanics
Long-range order
Common features and differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Cytoplasmic streaming
See also
References
External links

thumb|right|300px|The cytoskeleton consists of (a) microtubules, (b) microfilaments, and (c) intermediate filaments.

The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotes, it extends from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane and is composed of similar proteins in the various organisms. It is composed of three main components: microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules, and these are all capable of rapid growth and/or disassembly depending on the cell's requirements.