Assembly kinetics determine the structure of keratin networks

摘要: Living cells exhibit an enormous bandwidth of mechanical and morphological properties that are mainly determined by the cytoskeleton. In metazoan this composite network is constituted three different types filamentous systems: actin filaments, microtubules intermediate filaments. Keratin-type filaments essential component epithelial tissues, where they comprise networks filament bundles. However, underlying mechanisms leading to inherently polymorphic structure remain elusive. Here, we show keratin form kinetically trapped bundles under near-physiological conditions in vitro. The intricate interplay between elongation their lateral association clusters.