How do microfilaments and microtubules relate to cilia, flagella, pseudopodia and muscle cells?
Microfilaments and microtubules make up the cytoskeleton, which is the cell’s support structure. Cilia and flagella are both made up of microtubules; they have the same structure, only cilia are short and all around the cell and flagella are long and there are generally only one or a couple of them. Pseudopodia are formed when the cell rearranges its cytoskeleton (made up of microfilaments and microtubules). Amoeba move by forming a psuedopod and then continuing to rearrange their cytoskeletons so that they move into their psuedopod, morphing around as they go. Obviously the cytoskeleton is really mobile and easily rearranged. Muscle cells contract because of the microfilaments and microtubules, as well as some important proteins. What happens is that the filaments and tubules, which are made up of proteins called actin and myosin, are touching because of “myosin bridges”. If you can imagine a ratcheting system, where something cinches tight–much like handcuffs and with a release mech
