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The cytoskeleton and disease
Author(s) -
Ramaekers Frans CS,
Bosman Fred T
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1665
Subject(s) - cytoskeleton , microbiology and biotechnology , cytoplasm , biology , extracellular matrix , disease , biomedicine , cell , neuroscience , computational biology , bioinformatics , medicine , genetics , pathology
Cytoskeletal research in recent years has revolutionized cell biology and biomedicine. The cytoskeleton spans the cytoplasm and interconnects the cell nucleus with the extracellular matrix, thereby forming a structural link between molecules involved in cell communication on the one hand, and gene expression on the other. Since the cytoskeleton is involved in virtually all cellular processes, abnormalities in this essential cellular component frequently result in disease. In this introduction, the basic structure of the cytoskeleton is briefly outlined. Furthermore, the disease processes in which the cytoskeleton plays a decisive role, and which are reviewed in detail in the papers in this issue, are briefly introduced. The advances in our understanding of the cytoskeleton and its function in disease will lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the foreseeable future. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.