Capturing intermediate filament networks

Article Biology

Quantitative mapping of keratin networks in 3D

Reinhard Windoffer et al.

Summary: Mechanobiology relies on precise quantitative information in specific 3D microenvironments. Establishing 3D maps of the cytoskeleton is particularly challenging for biophysical modeling, especially for intermediate filament organization.

ELIFE (2022)

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Article Cell Biology

Recent insight into intermediate filament structure

Sherif A. Eldirany et al.

Summary: Intermediate filaments are essential players in cellular processes, with their structural and biochemical properties playing crucial roles in filament assembly mechanisms and interactions with binding partners. Recent advances in understanding IF structure from studies on keratins, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and lamin have revealed new insights into assembly mechanisms, structural elements, and functional domains, enhancing our understanding of the connection between IF structure, pathogenic mutations, and clinical diseases in humans.

CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY (2021)

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Article Biology

Structural heterogeneity of cellular K5/K14 filaments as revealed by cryo-electron microscopy

Miriam S. Weber et al.

Summary: This study analyzed the structure of keratin 5/keratin 14 filaments within ghost mouse keratinocytes using cryo-electron microscopy and revealed the complex and remarkable heterogenic architecture of keratin filaments, suggesting that they are highly flexible, dynamic cytoskeletal structures. Cross-section views of filaments showed that keratins form hollow cylinders consisting of multiple protofilaments, with an electron dense core located in the center of the filament.

ELIFE (2021)

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Article Biochemistry & Molecular Biology