what does microtubules mean?

Answer 1

Microtubules are small support structures in cells. Well, if u are a total beginner, then mictrotubles are somewhat similar to bones and systems in the body.....they support the cell and allow transfer of materials around the cells.

Answer 2

Microtubules are a class of structures that make up the 'cytoskeleton' of a cell. Like a previous poster stated, you can think of them like little bones for a cell to maintain the shape it needs. They are also involved in moving chromosomes around when a cell divides, and in the movement of cilia and flagella.

Microtubules are made out of two globular proteins that form a repeating polymer, creating a tube about 25 nanometers across. They are usually arranged in pairs or triplets, which are then bound together to other pairs or triplets by a ring of proteins.

Answer 3

Microtubules are protein structures found within cells, one of the components of the cytoskeleton. They have diameter of ~ 24 nm and length varying from several micrometers to possibly millimeters in axons of nerve cells. Microtubules serve as structural components within cells and are involved in many cellular processes including mitosis, cytokinesis, and vesicular transport.
Microtubules are polymers of α- and β-tubulin dimers. The tubulin dimers polymerize end to end in protofilaments. The protofilaments then bundle in hollow cylindrical filaments. Typically, the protofilaments arrange themselves in an imperfect helix with one turn of the helix containing 13 tubulin dimers each from a different protofilament. The image above illustrates a small section of microtubule, a few αβ dimers in length.

Another important feature of microtubule structure is polarity. Tubulin polymerizes end to end with the α subunit of one tubulin dimer contacting the β subunit of the next. Therefore, in a protofilament, one end will have the α subunit exposed while the other end will have the β subunit exposed. These ends are designated (-) and (+) respectively. The protofilaments bundle parallel to one another, so in a microtubule, there is one end, the (+) end, with only β subunits exposed while the other end, the (-) end, only has α subunits exposed.

Answer 4

along with microfilaments, microtubules make up the cytoskeleton or the supporting structures insides cells that give them shape. they also found in cilia, flagella and hair. microtubules look like hollow tubes and are made up of proteins mostly tubulin.

Answer 5

They are things that transport material throughout the cell

Answer 6

its in the cell and it looks like a bunch of straws tied together wit a rubber band

Answer 7

-microscopic tubular structure present in numbers/groups,in the cytoplasm of cells,triggered to forms more complex state