∞ generated and posted on 2016.08.26 ∞
Protein intracellular matrix associated particularly with eukaryotic cells, providing both intracellular support and movement.
Cytoskeleton members include microtubules, intermediate filaments, and microfilaments, consisting of tubulin, to some extent keratin, and actin proteins, respectively. Microtubules are also central to the functioning of eukaryotic flagella and cilia as well as literally central to those structures.
The cytoskeleton playes key roles in mitosis and meiosis, making up for example the mitotic spindle as well as the centrosomes which consist of pairs of microtubule-based centrioles and which otherwise serve as center of the microtubule-based cytoskeleton.
Prokaryotic cytoskeletons also exist and are potentially homologous to those found in eukaryotes.