The process of dorsal closure is described at the Hemipterous site. The region immediately beneath the cell membrane is known as the cortex. Here a completely different set of cytoskeletal elements establish and maintain cell polarity, help to maintain cell shape, and serve to anchor proteins embedded in the cell surface. Thus the cortex has a major role in cell-cell communication mediated by cell surface proteins. The cortex serves as an anchor for Oskar , a key protein in establishing oocyte polarity, and also anchors Prospero and Numb , proteins important in neural cell polarity.
Microtubules are hollow, cylindrical polymers of alpha and beta tubulin heterodimers.
The asymmetry of the individual dimers imparts an intrinsic polarity to the MT, which is displayed as kinetic differences between the two ends. The plus end, originally defined as the end of the axon's microtubule distal to the cell body, elongates 2-3 times faster than the minus end, or the end proximal to the cell body. Dependent on cell type, MTs may be arrayed in a variety of configurations, and since motors are unidirectional, the arrangements of MTs dictates the effective direction of motor movement. Kinesins are plus end directed motors, while dyneins are minus end directed motors. In mitosis, the minus end of microtubules are associated with centrosomes.