The Cytoskeleton [Hardcover]

The cytoskeleton is the intracellular architecture that controls the integrity and morphology of a cell, as well as providing trafficking routes for intracellular transport. Its reorganization is critical for cell movement, secretion, and differentiation of many cell types. This book includes contributions detailing the molecular architecture of the actin microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments that make up the cytoskeleton, as well as the wide variety of associated proteins and cytoskeletal regulators. It also describes the role the cytoskeleton plays in different cellular processes.The cytoskeleton is the intracellular filament system that controls the morphology of a cell, allows it to move, and provides trafficking routes for intracellular transport. It comprises three major filament systems-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments-along with a host of adaptors, regulators, molecular motors, and additional structural proteins.

This textbook presents a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the cytoskeleton, cataloguing its many different components and explaining how they are functionally integrated in different cellular processes. It starts by laying out the basic molecular hardware, before describing in detail how these components are assembled in cells and linked to neighboring cells and the extracellular matrix to maintain tissue architecture. It then surveys the roles of the cytoskeleton in processes such as intracellular transport, cell motility, signal transduction, and cell division. The book is thus essential reading for students learning about intracellular structure. It also represents a vital reference for all cell and developmental biologists working in this field.Preface

1. Overview of the Cytoskeleton from an Evolutionary Perspective
Thomas D. Pollard and Robert D. Goldman

PART 1. CYTOSKELETAL AND MOTILITY PROTEINS
2. Actin and Actin-Binding Proteins
Thomas D. Pollarlƒ&