18.8 Coordination and Cooperation Between Cytoskeletal Elements

So far, we have generally discussed the three cytoskeletal filament classes—microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments—as though they function independently of one another. However, the fact that the microtubule-based mitotic spindle determines the site of formation of the microfilament-based contractile ring is just one example of how these two cytoskeletal filament systems are coordinated. Here we mention some other examples of linkages, physical and regulatory, between cytoskeletal elements and their integration into other aspects of cellular organization.