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The Cytoskeleton MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers

Edited By admin | Updated on Sep 18, 2023 18:34 AM | #NEET

Quick Facts

  • The Cytoskeleton is considered one of the most asked concept.

  • 17 Questions around this concept.

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Cytoskeleton is made up of:

Concepts Covered - 1

The Cytoskeleton

The Cytoskeleton

  • Cytoskeleton refers to the network of protein fibres that help in maintaining the shape of the cell and help in the movement of the cell. 
  • There are three types of protein fibres within cytoskeleton:
  1.                  microfilaments,
  2.                  intermediate filaments, and 
  3.                  microtubules

Microfilaments

  • These are the narrowest fibres made up of two intertwined strands of F-actin protofilaments. They are also called actin filaments.
  • F-actin protofilaments are made up of G-actin subunit. 
  • F-actin is the filamentous actin while G-actin is the globular actin. 
  • The individual strands of F-actin protofilaments are wound together with the help of tropomyosin. 
  • Tropomyosin is a double-stranded alpha-helical coiled-coil protein. 
  • It bears a protein complex, called troponin, which is interspersed along the length of the coil.

Functions of Microfilaments:

  • Microfilaments provide shape and rigidity to the cells. They can depolymerize (disassemble) and reform quickly, thus enabling a cell to change its shape and move.

Intermediate Filaments

  • They are called the intermediate filaments because their diameter (8 to 10 nm) is between those of microfilaments and microtubules. 
  • These are structural in function. 
  • They do not perform any role in the movement. 
  • They maintain the shape of the cell by bearing the tension. 
  • Their main function is to maintain the shape of the cell and provide tensile strength. 
  • These are formed through the process of polymerization. 


Microtubules

  • These are small hollow tubules. 
  • Their walls are made up of polymerised dimers of a-tubulin and B-tubulin. 
  • They have a diameter of 25 nm. They are the widest component of the cytoskeleton. 
  • They help the cell resist compression, provide a track along which vesicles move through the cell and pull replicated chromosomes to opposite ends of a dividing cell. 
  • Like microfilaments, microtubules can dissolve and reform quickly.

 

 

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The Cytoskeleton

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