| contractile vacuole | A specialised vacuole of eukaryote cells, especially Protozoa, that fills with water from the cytoplasm and then discharges this externally by the opening of a permanent narrow neck. Function is probably osmoregulatory. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| peritubular contractile cells | Flattened smooth muscle-like cell's of mesodermal origin that lie just outside the basal lamina of the seminiferous tubule. Synonym: peritubular contractile cells. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| contractile | Having the property of contracting. (05 Mar 2000) |
| contractile proteins | Proteins which participate in contractile processes. They include muscle proteins as well as those found in other cells and tissues. In the latter, these proteins participate in localised contractile events in the cytoplasm, in motile activity, and in cell aggregation phenomena. (12 Dec 1998) |
| contractile ring | The equatorial ring of microfilaments that diminishes in diameter probably both by contraction and disassembly as cytokinesis proceeds. (18 Nov 1997) |
| contractile stricture | A stricture due to the presence of contractile tissue which may be dilated but soon returns. Synonym: contractile stricture. (05 Mar 2000) |
| autophagic vacuole | <cell biology> Membrane bounded region of cytoplasm that is subsequently digested. Origin: Gr. Soma = body (18 Nov 1997) |
| vacuole | <cell biology> Membrane bounded vesicle of eukaryotic cells. Secretory, endocytotic and phagocytotic vesicles can be termed vacuoles. Botanists tend to confine the term to the large vesicles found in plant cells that provide both storage and space filling functions. (18 Nov 1997) |
| gas vacuole | A prokaryotic cellular organelle consisting of cylindrical vesicles around 75 x 300nm, often in clusters. The wall of the gas vacuole, which is permeable to gases but not to water, is formed from a monolayer of a single protein. Gas vacuoles are found mainly in planktonic cyanobacteria and their prime function is to make the bacterium buoyant. (18 Nov 1997) |
| parasitophorous vacuole | A vacuole formed by layers of endoplasmic reticulum around an intracellular parasite which may serve to isolate the parasite and enclose it for lysozymal attack. (05 Mar 2000) |
| condensing vacuole | <cell biology> Vacuole formed from the cis face of the Golgi by the fusion of smaller vacuoles. Within the condensing vacuole the contents are concentrated and may become semi crystalline (zymogen granules or secretory vesicles). (05 Jan 1998) |
| digestive vacuole | Intracellular vacuole into which lysosomal enzymes are discharged and digestion of the contents occurs. More commonly referred to as a secondary lysosome. (18 Nov 1997) |