brush border

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. a dense array of microvilli projecting from the surface of certain epithelial tissues, as the lining of the intestinal tract.

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brush border British  

noun

1. physiol a layer of tightly packed minute finger-like protuberances on cells that line absorptive surfaces, such as those of the intestine and kidney See also microvillus

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Etymology

Origin of brush border

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brush border

Although their small size makes it difficult to see each microvillus, their combined microscopic appearance suggests a mass of bristles, which is termed the brush border.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

In the kidney, most of the CA is located within the cell, but a small amount is bound to the brush border of the membrane on the apical surface of the cell.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The thick portion is lined with simple cuboidal epithelium without a brush border.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

After amylases break down starch into smaller fragments, the brush border enzyme α-dextrinase starts working on α- dextrin, breaking off one glucose unit at a time.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Intestine epithelium cells have a "brush border," a structure that is present only in cells specialized for absorption and that is assumed to have arisen as a result of the activity of certain intestine-cell genes.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 9, 2012