Review
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 9, 860-873 (November 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrm2522
Focus on: Cell polarity
Beyond polymer polarity: how the cytoskeleton builds a polarized cell
Rong Li1 & Gregg G. Gundersen2 About the authors
Abstract
Cell polarity relies on the asymmetric organization of cellular components and structures. Actin and microtubules are well suited to provide the structural basis for cell polarization because of their inherent structural polarity along the polymer lattices and intrinsic dynamics that allow them to respond rapidly to polarity cues. In general, the actin cytoskeleton drives the symmetry-breaking process that enables the establishment of a polarized distribution of regulatory molecules, whereas microtubules build on this asymmetry and maintain the stability of the polarized organization. Crosstalk coordinates the functions of the two cytoskeletal systems.
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Author affiliations
- The Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.
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Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University, 1217 Black Building, 630 West 168th Street, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Email: rli@stowers-institute.org; Email: ggg1@columbia.edu
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