Which cytoskeletal element would most likely be disrupted in a disease causing fragility of skin epithelial cells under mechanical stress?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: To generate protrusive force pushing the membrane outward
Intermediate filaments (e.g., keratin in epithelial cells) provide tensile strength to resist mechanical stress. Mutation or disruption in keratin IFs weakens structural integrity and leads to fragility in skin cells.
Keep practicing
More Cytoskeleton and motility questions
- Which cytoskeletal filaments are most directly involved in cytokinesis (cell division) during cleavage of a dividing cell in animal cells?
- Which statement best captures the dynamic nature of the cytoskeleton in a typical eukaryotic cell?
- Which of the following cytoskeletal processes would most likely be impaired by a toxin that inhibits tubulin polymerization?
- Which class of proteins links cytoskeletal filaments to the plasma membrane or to other cytoskeletal elements to coordinate cellular archit…
- Which of the following motor proteins utilizes ATP to slide along actin filaments and generate contractile force in muscle and nonmuscle ce…
- During directed cell migration, which cytoskeletal filament system and associated dynamics are mainly responsible for establishing cell pol…