microtubule

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

noun Cell Biology.

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

Origin of microtubule

First recorded in 1960–65; micro- + tubule

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for microtubule

microtubule

noun

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

microtubule in Medicine

microtubule

[mī′krō-tōō′byōōl]

n.

Any of the proteinaceous cylindrical hollow structures that are distributed throughout the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, providing structural support and assisting in cellular locomotion and transport.

microtubule in Science

microtubule

[mī′krō-tōō′byōōl]

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.