6533b7d0fe1ef96bd125b6b7

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Imaging of Keratin Dynamics during the Cell Cycle and in Response to Phosphatase Inhibition

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Publisher Summary The characterization and development of autofluorescent proteins, most prominently of the green florescent protein, have provided tools to label cellular structures such that they can be examined in living cells. This chapter highlights the potential of live cell imaging in providing novel and unprecedented insights into the dynamic organization of the keratin cytoskeleton and outlines the important aspects of this method. The live cell imaging experiments suggest that the driving force behind the vectorial and dynamic keratin distribution patterns relies both on microtubules and microfilaments and their associated factors. The studies on the dynamics of the keratin cytoskeleton have been complemented by exciting analyses of the other IF types and systems, and include diverse types of motility of individual filaments and filament bundles in the absence of cell shape changes. These analyses have shown that intermediate filaments (IFs) are an integrated part of the cytoskeleton and that their motile properties are predominantly determined by microtubules and their associated motor proteins. It is revealed through the imaging of fluorescent IF chimeras that the balance between granular and filamentous IF forms depends on phosphatase activities and the phosphorylation status of IFs. Thus, with the rapid advances in imaging technologies, it can be expected that further exciting findings about the complex dynamics of the keratin cytoskeleton will soon be reported.