Introduction to the Cytoskeleton definitions Flashcards

A dynamic network of protein filaments providing structural support, intracellular transport, and facilitating cell movement and division.

Cytoskeletal structures serving as highways for motor proteins to transport vesicles, organelles, and other cellular components.

Membrane-bound sacs that transport materials within cells, often moved by motor proteins along microtubules.

Thin, flexible protein strands in the cytoskeleton involved in cellular movement, shape maintenance, and division, but not in vesicle transport by motor proteins.

Thin, flexible protein filaments composed of actin, crucial for cellular movement, shape maintenance, and division, but not for vesicle transport by motor proteins.

The process by which cells move or change position using structures like actin filaments, cilia, or flagella, enabling functions such as motility, division, and environmental interaction.

Provide structural support and maintain cell shape, not involved in vesicle transport by motor proteins.

The ability of a cell's structure to maintain its shape and resist deformation, primarily provided by intermediate filaments in the cytoskeleton.

Hair-like structures on cell surfaces that move objects in the environment relative to the cell, commonly found in the respiratory and digestive tracts.

A whip-like structure that propels a cell through its environment, functioning like a tail to enable movement, as seen in sperm cells.

A male gamete with a flagellum, enabling it to swim towards the egg for fertilization, carrying half the genetic material needed to form a new organism.

Cells in the digestive tract use cilia to move food particles towards them for digestion, aiding in nutrient absorption and maintaining gut health.