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Intermediate filaments: primary determinants of cell architecture and plasticity
Harald Herrmann, … , Peter Burkhard, Ueli Aebi
Harald Herrmann, … , Peter Burkhard, Ueli Aebi
Published July 1, 2009
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2009;119(7):1772-1783. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI38214.
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Category: Review Series

Intermediate filaments: primary determinants of cell architecture and plasticity

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Abstract

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are major constituents of the cytoskeleton and nuclear boundary in animal cells. They are of prime importance for the functional organization of structural elements. Depending on the cell type, morphologically similar but biochemically distinct proteins form highly viscoelastic filament networks with multiple nanomechanical functions. Besides their primary role in cell plasticity and their established function as cellular stress absorbers, recently discovered gene defects have elucidated that structural alterations of IFs can affect their involvement both in signaling and in controlling gene regulatory networks. Here, we highlight the basic structural and functional properties of IFs and derive a concept of how mutations may affect cellular architecture and thereby tissue construction and physiology.

Authors

Harald Herrmann, Sergei V. Strelkov, Peter Burkhard, Ueli Aebi

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Figure 1

Cells from higher metazoan organisms harbor two distinct IF systems.

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Cells from higher metazoan organisms harbor two distinct IF systems.
Ind...
Indirect immunofluorescence staining with antibodies specific for (A) lamin A and (B) vimentin indicates that lamins are concentrated at the inner nuclear membrane within the nucleus, whereas vimentin forms a complex network within the cytoplasm that extends from the cell periphery immediately to the outer nuclear membrane. (C) DNA has been stained with the DNA-specific dye DAPI (blue). (D) Merged image of A–C. Scale bar: 10 μm.
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