The cytoskeleton is a network of protein filaments in the cytoplasm of all cells that gives them shape, movement and other functions. Learn about its components, roles, evolution and interactions with diseases and consciousness. Cytoskeleton, a system of filaments or fibers that is present in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells . The cytoskeleton organizes other constituents of the cell, maintains the cell’s shape, and is responsible for the locomotion of the cell itself and the movement of the various organelles within it. The cytoskeleton is a dynamic network of protein filaments found in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. It stretches from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane in eukaryotes and is composed of the same proteins in all organisms. The cytoskeleton is a network of filaments and tubules that extends throughout a cell, through the cytoplasm, which is all of the material within a cell except for the nucleus.