This volume addresses the structural and functional roles of the cytoskeleton and its dysfunctions which often lead to disease. It provides thorough discussion of microtubules, microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and cytoskeletal functions and dysfunctions in different organ systems. Comprehensive yet concise. The Cytoskeleton In Health And Disease presents cutting-edge discoveries balanced with background information and highlights the new aspects of the research and its impact on the design of new strategies or the identification of new targets for therapeutic intervention. There is a significant need for a book on this topic, as interest in the cytoskeleton continues to grow as causes and cures for cytoskeletal diseases are further explored in biomedical research. This book is essential reading for scientists, students, and teachers interested in expanding their knowledge related to the cytoskeleton. New researchers entering the field will find classic and well as contemporary information not easily found in the current literature or internet resources.

The cytoskeleton is comprised of a variety of specialized proteins, and is a dynamic structure that is involved in the majority of key cellular events. There is increasing interest in the role of the cytoskeleton in human disease. This volume brings together human disease states where cytoskeletal disruptions are driving disease. Our emerging understanding of the molecular and cellular events that drive cytoskeletal mediated diseases including cancer, heart disease, myopathies and skin disorders, are also helping shape targeted therapeutic approaches to treating these diseases.

The cytoskeleton is the intracellular filament system that controls the morphology of a cell, allows it to move, and provides trafficking routes for intracellular transport. It comprises three major filament systems-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments-along with a host of adaptors, regulators, molecular motors, and additional structural proteins. This textbook presents a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the cytoskeleton, cataloguing its many different components and explaining how they are functionally integrated in different cellular processes. It starts by laying out the basic molecular hardware, before describing in detail how these components are assembled in cells and linked to neighboring cells and the extracellular matrix to maintain tissue architecture. It then surveys the roles of the cytoskeleton in processes such as intracellular transport, cell motility, signal transduction, and cell division. The book is thus essential reading for students learning about intracellular structure. It also represents a vital reference for all cell and developmental biologists working in this field.

Nanoneuroscience is the study of computationally relevant biomolecules found inside neurons. Because of recent technological advances at the nanometer scale, scientists have at their disposal increasingly better ways to study the brain and the biophysics of its molecules. This book describes how biomolecules contribute to the operations of synapses and perform other computationally relevant functions inside dendrites. These biomolecular operations considerably expand the brain-computer analogy - endowing each neuron with the processing power of a silicon-based multiprocessor. Amazingly, the brain contains hundreds of billions of neurons.

Intermediate filaments are a large family of proteins that are the cytoskeletal elements involved in a number of skin, liver, neuromuscular, cardiac, eye and hair diseases. Intermediate filament genes are regulated in a tissue-and cell type-specific manner and their polymerized protein products protects the cells and tissue they are part of against a variety of mechanical and nonmechanical stresses. This book provides a comprehensive resource of methodology essentials, describing a variety of essential tools and assays for studying intermediate filaments. The book provides user-friendly advice and protocols covering all aspects of intermediate filaments including protein isolation and structure, protein and gene regulation, relationship to disease and apoptosis, and associated proteins. Both mammalian and non-mammalian systems and animal models are covered, making this book a must-have for any investigator wishing to study IF genes or their protein products. * Covers intermediate filaments from crystallography, protein chemistry, cell and molecular biology, microrheology, gene regulation, to animal models and human disease * Practical and user-friendly with detailed "how-to-protocols and "tricks of the trade" * Includes detailed tables of useful reagents, vendors and web links

Mitochondria are subcellular organelles evolved by the endosymbiosis of bacteria with eukaryotic cells. They are the main source of ATP in the cell and engaged in other aspects of cell metabolism and cell function, including the regulation of ion homeostasis, cell growth, redox status, and cell signaling. Due to their central role in cell life and death, mitochondria are also involved in the pathogenesis and progression of human diseases/conditions, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and aging. However, despite the increasing number of studies, precise mechanisms whereby mitochondria are involved in the regulation of basic physiological functions, as well as their role in the cell under pathophysiological conditions, remain unknown. A lack of in-depth knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial metabolism and function, as well as interplay between the factors that transform the organelle from its role in pro-survival to pro-death, have hindered the development of new mitochondria-targeted pharmacological and conditional approaches for the treatment of human diseases. This book highlights the latest achievements in elucidating the role of mitochondria under physiological conditions, in various cell/animal models of human diseases, and in patients.