Like the components of other intermediate filaments , the lamin monomer contains an alpha @-@ helical domain used by two monomers to coil around each other , forming a dimer structure called a coiled coil . Two of these dimer structures then join side by side , in an antiparallel arrangement , to form a tetramer called a protofilament . Eight of these protofilaments form a lateral arrangement that is twisted to form a ropelike filament . These filaments can be assembled or disassembled in a dynamic manner , meaning that changes in the length of the filament depend on the competing rates of filament addition and removal .