Here is today's scientific image:
This delicate, fluffy object is a cytoskeleton viewed under a fluorescence confocal microscope. Below is a time-lape video of the process. For an explanation of why the cell's actin fibers twist around into this shape, go to our website.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLm0Ojngjc4[/embed]
Indeed, all three of today's new articles involve crucial cellular dynamics: cutting up unfolded proteins with pared-down molecular "scissors" and binding to metal ions in proteins. In other words, within that lovely shell-like cytoskeleton, the cell is quite a busy place, with loads of activities still to explore. Have fun!
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What with the current debate about the use of "smart" drugs by academics, I thought it pertinent to republish this old piece from January of last year, about a bacterial toxin which has been shown to enhance fear conditioning and spatial memory in mice.
The Cytoskeleton. Now that's what you call a misnomer. It is one of the most fascinating, yet misunderstood, macromolecular assemblies of the cell.