ABSTRACT
In recent years, increased attention has been directed toward understanding the nature of a framework of filaments which remains after living cells are extracted with nonionic detergents such as Triton® X-100. 1 The treatment yields a residuum containing the nucleus and a firmly attached mesh of cytofilaments that is designated as the cytoskeleton. This “Triton cytoskeleton” consists largely of intermediate-sized filaments and bundles of microfilaments. If this residuum is digested simultaneously with DNAase I and RNAase A and then treated with high salt, a nuclear network and a residual nucleolus are obtained with cytoskeletal components still solidly attached. The nuclear network must differ from the cytoplasmic network since no microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate-sized filaments have been detected in the nuclear interior.
