Cell cortex is a sub-membranous structure lying between the cell membrane and cytoplasm. In red blood cells it is a form of network consisted of spectrin, crosslinked by short actin filaments and other actin and spectrin binding proteins. This network, by associating with the lipid membrane, protects the red cell from loosing its lipid membrane during the passage of the red cell through capillary vessel. In Dictyostelium discoideum the cell cortex is consisted of a layer of actin filaments where myosin II filaments intersperse, and is contractile in the presence of ATP. The cortical tension thus generated is thought to play a role in controlling the cell shape change and transport of materials in the cortex or those bound to the cell surface receptors. I will overview studies that have investigated the role of the cell cortex in regulating the cell shape.
