Do prokaryotic cells have a cytoskeleton?

1 Answer
Betsy O.
Oct 2, 2015

It used to be thought that prokaryotes do not have a cytoskeleton, but better imaging techniques since the 1990s have shown cytoskeletal elements in bacteria and archaea.

Explanation:

Bacterial cytoskeletal proteins include a type unique to bacteria, along with elements homologous to eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins (tubulin, actin, and intermediate filaments).

For more information, see:
Shih, Y.-L., & Rothfield, L. (2006). The Bacterial Cytoskeleton. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 70(3), 729–754. http://doi.org/10.1128/MMBR.00017-06

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