Cytoskeletons!

The cytoplasm... just a big bag of goo, right?

Nope!

The cytoplasm is brilliant - it has its own skeleton (of sorts)! The cytoskeleton is fairly simple but important for 4 things!

Before we go into what they are, though, we need to know a little bit about what it's made of. The cytoskeleton is built up of 2 kinds of protein threads.

Microtubules:

• Hollow,
• Larger,

Microfilaments:

• Solid,
• Smaller,

Easy! And just a quick thing to remember, microfilaments and microtubules only appear in eukaryotic cells (the ones that make up something larger, like a plant or an animal and not a single-celled organism like a bacteria).

The 4 things:

1. The cytoskeleton keeps organelles in position by supporting them,
2. It maintains the cell's structure and shape - much like our own bone-based skeleton,
3. It allows certain cells to move. This is because microfilaments make up the insides of cilia and flagella (see previous post marked 'Outstanding Organelles' to see what they are) and both these things enable all, or part, of the cell to move,
4. The cytoskeleton can transport substances. For example, the separation of chromosomes in cell division relies on the contraction of microtubules.

There we go! The cytoskeleton in a nut shell!