cy·to·skel·e·ton

(sī′tə-skĕl′ĭ-tn)

The internal framework of a eukaryotic cell, composed of protein filaments that provide structural support and drive the movement of the cell and its internal components, typically divided into three categories (microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules) based on the diameter and composition of the filaments.

cy′to·skel′e·tal (-ĭ-tl) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cytoskeleton

(ˈsaɪtəʊˌskɛlɪtən)

(Biochemistry) a network of fibrous proteins that governs the shape and movement of a biological cell

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cy•to•skel•e•ton

(ˌsaɪ təˈskɛl ɪ tn)

n.

a shifting lattice arrangement of structural and contractile components distributed throughout the cell cytoplasm, composed of microtubules, microfilaments, and larger filaments.

[1955-60]

cy`to•skel′e•tal, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

cytoskeleton - a microscopic network of actin filaments and microtubules in the cytoplasm of many living cells that gives the cell shape and coherence

anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure - a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing; "he has good bone structure"

cytol, cytoplasm - the protoplasm of a cell excluding the nucleus; is full of proteins that control cell metabolism

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References in periodicals archive

In summary, the cellular cytoskeleton network is involved in the SARS-CoV maturation and possibly replication process.

Topographic changes in SARS coronavirus--infected cells during late stages of infection

Specifically, the investigators examined the NK cell cytoskeleton (the part of each cell primarily responsible for the spatial organization of its components) during target cell killing in comparison to that of cytotoxic T cells.

NK and T cells team to tackle cancer

In mammalian cells, Rho proteins Rho/Rac/Cdc42 regulate the formation of the actin cytoskeleton in stress fibers, lamellipodia, and filopodia (1).

Rho-kinase is required for myosin-II-mediated vesicle transport during M-phase in extracts of clam oocytes

It is of interest to note that both [beta]-actin and the precursor protein for bikunin, two proteins involved with the formation of the cytoskeleton, were both downregulated in fish treated with estrogenic chemicals.

Expression profiling of estrogenic compounds using a sheepshead minnow cDNA macroarray. (Article)

It was also found that IGF or stretch does not change the organization of cells or the cell's cytoskeleton. This research is significant in that it shows a relationship between the chemical and mechanical stimuli within the heart.

Effects of insulin-like growth factor and mechanical stretch on neonatal heart fibroblasts. (South Carolina Junior Academy Of Sciences Abstracts)

Additional features of his model include cytoskeleton activity as a mechanism for "free will" to influence the synaptic connections of classical neuron "wiring," where the neurons magnify and transform the cytoskeletal action to influence other body organs.

Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness

"We focused on the embryonic cytoskeleton," he says.

Vitrification keeps pig embryos viable

The topics include the integration of cadherin adhesion and cytoskeleton at adherens junction, making connections: guidance cues and receptors at non-neural cell-cell-junctions, tuning collective cell migration by cell-cell junction regulation, beyond cell-cell adhesion: sensational cadherins for hearing and balance, and the loss of E-cadherin-dependent cell-cell adhesion and the development and progression of cancer.

Cell-Cell Junctions: A Subject Collection From Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 2nd Edition

The release is aided by the cell's inner structural proteins called the cytoskeleton, along with contracting protein machinery called actomyosin.

Mechanical forces trigger signaling pathway in human stem cells