Intermediate filament cytoskeleton [electronic resource] / edited by M. Bishr Omary, Pierre A. Coulombe.

Title from title screen (viewed Aug. 28, 2007).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Isolation, characterization, and in vitro assembly of intermediate filaments -- Intermediate filament protein structure determination -- Intracellular microrheology as a tool for the measurement of the local mechanical properties of live cells -- Developing mouse models to study intermediate filaments in apoptosis -- Uncovering the roles of intermediate filaments in apoptosis -- Molecular genetics methods for human intermediate filament diseases -- Intermediate filaments and multiparameter flow cytometry for the study of solid tumors -- Intermediate filament protein inclusions -- Stress models for the study of intermediate filament function -- Regulation of intermediate filament gene expression -- Fluorescence-based methods for studying intermediate filaments -- Imaging of keratin dynamics during the cell cycle and in response to phosphatase inhibition -- Approaches to study phosphorylation filament proteins using site-specific and phosphorylation state-specific antibodies -- Approaches to study posttranslational regulation of intermediate filament proteins -- Hair keratins and hair follicle-specific epithelial keratins -- Skin : an ideal model system to study keratin genes and proteins -- Studying simple epithelial keratins in cells and tissues -- Muscle intermediate filament proteins -- [35S] methionine metabolic labeling to study axonal transport of neuronal intermediate filament proteins in vivo -- Lamins -- The intermediate filament systems in the eye lens -- Fish keratins -- Performing functional studies of xenopus laevis intermediate filament proteins through injection og macromolecules into early embryos -- Intermediate filaments in caenorhabditis elegans -- Plectin -- In vitro methods for investigating desmoplakin-intermediate filament interactions and their role in adhesive strength -- Studying cytolinker -- Keratin bundling proteins -- Lamin-associated proteins.

Description based on print version record.

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.