Mierke C (2018)
Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes
Publication year: 2018
Edited Volumes: Physics of Cancer, Volume 1
DOI: 10.1088/978-0-7503-1753-5ch8
Intermediate filaments belong to one of the three major classes of intracellular filaments and are hence an important component of the cellular cytoskeleton. The first role of intermediate filaments is their support of the mechanical properties of the cells. Intermediate filament proteins can assemble to produce polymers that build viscoelastic gels. Intermediate filament networks display a striking nonlinear elasticity with increasing stiffness that has been quantified by analyzing the shear modulus, which can even increase by an order of magnitude when the networks are probed by large stains. It is clear that intermediate filaments fulfill many different roles, regulating a broad variety of biological functions, such as the organization and assembly of microtubules and microfilaments, the regulation of nuclear structure and the connection of the chromatin to the nuclear lamina, and subsequently they facilitate the regulation of the activity of genes, the cell cycle and signal transduction pathways. This chapter introduces and discusses the role of intermediate filaments and nuclear deformability, including how they may affect cell matrix invasion through connective tissue. Special emphasis is placed on the role of intermediate filaments in providing cytoskeletal and nuclear stiffness and hence supporting cellular motility. As intermediate filaments are integrated into a broad cytoskeletal and nuclear network, the interaction between them and actin filaments in supporting cell motility is highlighted. In addition to cellular motility regulation, the strong involvement of intermediate filament proteins in the regulation of intracellular trafficking has been established, as they associate with key proteins of the vesicular membrane transport machinery and subsequently of the endocytic pathway.
APA:
Mierke, C. (2018). Intermediate filaments and nuclear deformability during matrix invasion. In Physics of Cancer, Volume 1..
MLA:
Mierke, Claudia. "Intermediate filaments and nuclear deformability during matrix invasion." Physics of Cancer, Volume 1. 2018.
BibTeX: Download