microtubule

[ mahy-kroh-too-byool, -tyoo- ]

nounCell Biology.
  1. a hollow cylindrical structure in the cytoplasm of most cells, involved in intracellular shape and transport.

Origin of microtubule

1
First recorded in 1960–65; micro- + tubule

Words Nearby microtubule

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use microtubule in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for microtubule

microtubule

/ (ˌmaɪkrəʊˈtjuːbjuːl) /


noun
  1. biology a tubular aggregate of protein subunits that forms structures, such as the mitotic spindle or the cilia of animal cells or of protozoans, in which the protein interacts with other proteins to generate various cellular movements

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for microtubule

microtubule

[ mī′krō-tōōbyōōl ]


  1. Any of the tube-shaped protein structures that help eukaryotic cells maintain their shape and assist in forming the cell spindle during cell division. Microtubules and actin filaments are the main components of the cell's supporting matrix or cytoskeleton.

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