Studies have shown that in ALS patients, microtubules—which are the major component of the cell cytoskeleton and serve as tracks for transporting components from cell bodies to neuronal ...

Microtubules perform an active role in communication within the cell by transmitting received signals to the cell's functional units. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Department ...

A microscopic image shows small red centers connected by networks of branched and straight filaments. The team mixed purified actin monomers with precise concentrations of two nucleation-promoting ...

Prof. Michael Murrell's group (lead author Zachary Gao Sun, graduate student in physics) in collaboration with Prof. Garegin Papoian's group from the University of Maryland at College Park has found ...

The amoeba Naegleria gruberi has two distinct cell states with different structures, including a mitotic spindle (left) and flagella (right). These cells use different tubulins to build these ...

Most of us will probably be able to recall at least vaguely that a molecule called ATP is essential for making our bodies move, but this molecule is only a small part of a much larger system. Although ...

Unlike the rigid skeletons within our bodies, the skeletons within individual cells—cytoskeletons—are changeable, even fluid. And when these cytoskeletons reorganize themselves, they do more than ...

Neurons connect to one another at sites called synapses, which are essential for creating and storing memories. Synapses are also dynamic and can undergo structural changes, such as increasing in size ...

Microscopy images of biological cells: top right (green) - Vimentin intermediate filaments in fibroblasts; bottom left (red) - Keratin intermediate filaments in epithelial cells. Scale: 10 µm. Photo: ...

Most biological cells have a fixed place in an organism. However, there are instances where these cells acquire mobility, enabling them to traverse the body. Such occurrences are seen during processes ...