Intracellular transport

Introduction

The cytoskeleton is of fundamental importance to a cell, and the development of different elements of the cytoskeleton were key steps in the evolution of eukaryotic cells. The cytoskeleton controls cell shape and allows cell movement; it is required for many aspects of intracellular trafficking of vesicles and organelles, and it is involved in cell division. Because of its important role in facilitating the movement of vesicles between compartments, but a basic understanding of how the cytoskeleton works is equally important for cell division and cell migration.

This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course Molecular and cell biology (S377) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]