Intermediate filaments - Role of Cytoskeleton Structures

These filaments are intermediate in size among microtubules and microfilaments and are 10 nm in diameter. Five classes of intermediate filaments are termed as

1. Desmin filaments found in all types of muscle tissues.
2. Keratin filaments found in epithelial cells of ectoderm and endoderm
3. Vimentin filaments found in mesoderm derived tissues such as bone and cartilage
4. Glial filaments found in glial cells

The functions of dissimilar types of intermediate filaments are not clear. It is proposed that they may act with cellular organelles in organising and keep their 3-dimensional structure.