Noun. /SY-toh-SKEH-leh-tun/
by Brenda Pardo
What does it mean?
The cytoskeleton is a network of protein filaments and associated molecules found within cells. It provides structural support to the cell, organizes and positions organelles, enables cell movement, facilitates intracellular signaling, and supports cell division. The cytoskeleton is primarily composed of three types of protein filaments: actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments
How do I use it in a sentence?
The cytoskeleton is essential for neurons to migrate and establish neural connections. Defects in neural migration and thus in their ability to make connections due to mutations in cytoskeletal proteins are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders
Figure. Illustration of a cell highlighting its cytoskeleton components: actin filaments in pink, intermediate filaments in purple, and microtubules in green. Image created by author in Biorender.
Etymology
The word was formed in the English language by combining the prefix “cyto” derived from the Greek word kytos, which means cell, and skeleton, which ref the internal structure that supports the human body.
Related terms
Myosin, actin, microtubules, tubulin.
History of usage
Joseph Needham, an English biochemist and science historian, used it for the first time in 1936 in his book “Order and Life”.
