CGTC FAQs: Academic Support

The cytoskeleton is basically the cell’s internal framework. It has three main parts, each with a different job:

1. Microfilaments (actin filaments)

   • Thinnest fibers

   • Made of actin

   • Help with cell shape, movement, and muscle contraction

   • Important for things like cell crawling and cell division

2. Intermediate filaments

   • Medium-sized fibers

   • Made of proteins like keratin

   • Provide tensile strength (help cells resist stretching and stress)

   • Keep cells mechanically stable

3. Microtubules

   • Thickest fibers

   • Made of tubulin

   • Maintain cell shape, act as tracks for vesicle transport, and form cilia, flagella, and the mitotic spindle during cell division