Abstract

Intermediate filaments (IFs) constitute a major structural element of animal cells. They build two distinct systems, one in the nucleus and one in the cytoplasm. In both cases, their major function is assumed to be that of a mechanical stress absorber and an integrating device for the entire cytoskeleton. In line with this, recent disease mutations in human IF proteins indicate that the nanomechanical properties of cell-type-specific IFs are central to the pathogenesis of diseases as diverse as muscular dystrophy and premature ageing. However, the analysis of these various diseases suggests that IFs also have an important role in cell-type-specific physiological functions.

Author affiliations

1. B065 Functional Architecture of the Cell, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
2. Department of Cardiology, University of Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
3. M.E. Müller Institute for Structural Biology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
4. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Catholic University of Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Correspondence to: Harald Herrmann¹ Email: h.herrmann@dkfz-heidelberg.de

Correspondence to: Ueli Aebi³ Email: ueli.aebi@unibas.ch

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.