What are the main components of the cytoskeleton involved in intracellular transport?
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| 1 | What are the main components of the cytoskeleton involved in intracellular transport? |
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Mechanisms of organelle movement, vesicle trafficking, and the role of cytoskeleton in maintaining cell structure.
The main components are microtubules, microfilaments (actin filaments), and intermediate filaments. Microtubules primarily facilitate organelle and vesicle movement, microfilaments support cell shape and motility, and intermediate filaments provide mechanical stability. |
| Think of the cytoskeleton as the cell's highway system. |
| 2 | Which motor protein moves cargo along microtubules towards the cell center? | Dynein moves cargo towards the microtubules' minus end, generally directing materials toward the cell center (retrograde transport). | Dynein is the 'retro' motor, moving inward. |
| 3 | Which motor protein moves cargo towards the cell periphery along microtubules? | Kinesin moves cargo towards the microtubules' plus end, typically directing materials outward (anterograde transport). | Kinesin 'kicks' cargo outward. |
| 4 | What role do actin filaments play in intracellular transport? | Actin filaments facilitate short-range transport, cell motility, and anchoring of organelles near the plasma membrane, often working with myosin motor proteins. | Think of actin as the cell's local roads for short trips. |
| 5 | Describe the process of vesicle trafficking from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane. | Vesicles bud off from the Golgi, are transported along microtubules by kinesin motors towards the plasma membrane, and fuse with the membrane to deliver their cargo. | Vesicle trafficking is like a cellular postal system. |
| 6 | What is the function of the cytoskeleton in maintaining cell shape? | The cytoskeleton provides structural support, maintains cell shape, and resists mechanical stress through networks of actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. | Think of the cytoskeleton as the cell's scaffolding. |
| 7 | How do microtubules contribute to organelle positioning within the cell? | Microtubules serve as tracks along which motor proteins transport organelles to specific locations, ensuring proper spatial organization within the cell. | Microtubules are the cell's internal highways. |
| 8 | What is the role of the motor protein myosin in intracellular transport? | Myosin interacts with actin filaments to facilitate short-range transport of organelles, vesicles, and other cargo near the cell cortex or plasma membrane. | Myosin walks along actin filaments, like a motor on local roads. |
| 9 | How do microtubules undergo dynamic instability, and why is this important? | Microtubules alternately grow and shrink through addition and loss of tubulin subunits, allowing rapid reorganization needed during cell division and intracellular transport. | Think of microtubules as flexible, dynamic highways. |
| 10 | What protein complex is responsible for vesicle budding from the Golgi? | The coat protein complex (COPI and COPII) facilitates vesicle formation and budding from the Golgi and ER, respectively. | Coat proteins help vesicles form like a basket. |
| 11 | Which cytoskeletal element anchors the nucleus in place within the cell? | Intermediate filaments, especially lamins, form a network called the nuclear lamina that supports and anchors the nuclear envelope. | Think of intermediate filaments as the cell's internal cables. |
| 12 | What is the significance of the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC)? | The MTOC, such as the centrosome, nucleates and organizes microtubules, playing a key role in spindle formation during mitosis and intracellular transport. | MTOC is the cell's microtubule headquarters. |
| 13 | Describe how motor proteins distinguish between different types of cytoskeletal filaments. | Motor proteins have specific binding domains that recognize and interact with particular filament types—kinesins and dyneins bind microtubules, while myosins bind actin filaments. | Motor proteins are like specialized delivery trucks for specific roads. |
| 14 | What is the role of the Rab family of GTPases in vesicle trafficking? | Rab GTPases regulate vesicle formation, motility, docking, and fusion by recruiting specific effector proteins, ensuring targeted delivery within the cell. | Rab proteins are the cell's traffic controllers. |
| 15 | How does the structure of cilia and flagella relate to their function in intracellular transport? | Cilia and flagella contain a core of microtubules arranged in a 9+2 structure, enabling movement and facilitating transport of materials along their surface through motor proteins like dynein. | Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based motile appendages. |
| 16 | What is the connection between defects in cytoskeletal components and disease? | Mutations or disruptions in cytoskeletal proteins or motor proteins can lead to diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and ciliopathies by impairing intracellular transport and cell stability. | Cytoskeleton defects can cause cellular 'traffic jams' and structural failures. |
| 17 | Explain the role of endosomes in intracellular transport. | Endosomes serve as sorting hubs for internalized materials, directing cargo to lysosomes for degradation or recycling back to the plasma membrane, relying on cytoskeletal tracks for movement. | Endosomes are the cell's internal mail sorting centers. |
| 18 | What experimental technique can be used to visualize cytoskeletal dynamics in live cells? | Fluorescence microscopy with specific fluorescently labeled cytoskeletal proteins or motor proteins allows visualization of their dynamics in real time. | Think of live-cell fluorescence imaging as the cell's 'video camera'. |
| 19 | How does microtubule polarity influence the directionality of intracellular transport? | Microtubules have a plus (+) end and a minus (-) end; motor proteins move cargo toward specific ends—kinesin toward the plus end (periphery), dynein toward the minus end (center). | Polarity is like north-south orientation guiding transport. |
| 20 | Describe the process of actin polymerization and its significance in cell motility. | Actin polymerization involves the addition of ATP-actin monomers at the plus end, driving protrusions like lamellipodia and filopodia essential for cell movement. | Actin 'grows' like a tree branch during movement. |
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