| spindle cell nevus | A benign, slightly pigmented or red superficial small skin tumour composed of spindle-shaped, epithelioid, and multinucleated cells that may appear atypical; most common in children, but also appearing in adults. Synonym: benign juvenile melanoma, epithelioid cell nevus, spindle cell nevus. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| spindle cell sarcoma | <tumour> A malignant neoplasm, believed to be of mesenchymal origin, composed of elongated, spindle-shaped cells. Synonym: fascicular sarcoma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spindle fibre | <cell biology> Microtubules of the spindle that interdigitate at the equatorial plane with microtubules of the opposite polarity derived from the opposite pole microtubule organising centre. Usually distinguished from kinetochore fibres that are microtubules that link the poles with the kinetochore, although these could be included in a broader use of the term. (18 Nov 1997) |
| spindle-shaped | 1. Having the shape of a spindle. 2. <botany> Thickest in the middle, and tapering to both ends; fusiform; applied chiefly to roots. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| spindle-shaped muscle | <anatomy> One that has a fleshy belly, tapering at either extremity. Synonym: musculus fusiformis, spindle-shaped muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| neuromuscular spindle | A fusiform end organ in skeletal muscle in which afferent and a few efferent nerve fibres terminate; it contains from 3 to 10 striated muscle fibres (intrafusal fibres) that are much smaller than the ordinary muscle fibres, are separated from them by a capsule that encloses the organ, and are innervated by the thin axon of a gamma motoneuron (gamma motor fibre); the sensory endings that occur on the intrafusal fibres are either annulospiral or flower spray endings; this sensory end organ is particularly sensitive to passive stretch of the muscle in which it is enclosed. Synonym: Kuhne's spindle, muscle spindle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| neurotendinous spindle | <cell biology, physiology> A proprioceptive sensory nerve ending embedded among the fibres of a tendon, often near the musculotendinous junction; it is compressed and activated by any increase of the tendon's tension, caused either by active contraction or passive stretch of the corresponding muscle. Synonym: neurotendinous organ, neurotendinous spindle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nevus, epithelioid and spindle cell | A benign compound nevus occurring most often in children before puberty, composed of spindle and epithelioid cells located mainly in the dermis, sometimes in association with large atypical cells and multinucleate cells, and having a close histopathological resemblance to malignant melanoma. The tumour presents as a smooth to slightly scaly, round to oval, raised, firm papule or nodule, ranging in colour from pink-tan to purplish red, often with surface telangiectasia. (12 Dec 1998) |
| nevus, spindle cell | A form of pigmented nevus showing intense melanocytic activity around the dermo-epidermal junction. Large numbers of spindle-shaped melanocytes proliferate downward toward the dermis and usually a large amount of pigment is present. It was first described in 1976 and the bulk of patients reported have been young females with the lesions presenting on the thighs. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Krukenberg's spindle | A vertical fusiform area of melanin pigmentation on the posterior surface of the central cornea. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Kuhne's spindle | A fusiform end organ in skeletal muscle in which afferent and a few efferent nerve fibres terminate; it contains from 3 to 10 striated muscle fibres (intrafusal fibres) that are much smaller than the ordinary muscle fibres, are separated from them by a capsule that encloses the organ, and are innervated by the thin axon of a gamma motoneuron (gamma motor fibre); the sensory endings that occur on the intrafusal fibres are either annulospiral or flower spray endings; this sensory end organ is particularly sensitive to passive stretch of the muscle in which it is enclosed. Synonym: Kuhne's spindle, muscle spindle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| receptors, cytoplasmic and nuclear | Proteins in the cytoplasm or nucleus that specifically bind signalling molecules and trigger changes which influence the behaviour of cells. The major groups are the steroid hormone receptors, which usually are found in the cytoplasm, and the thyroid hormone receptors, which usually are found in the nucleus. Receptors, unlike enzymes, generally do not catalyze chemical changes in their ligands. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Remak's nuclear division | <cell biology> An unusual form of nuclear division, in which the nucleus simply constricts, rather like a cell without chromosome condensation or spindle formation. Partitioning of daughter chromosomes is haphazard. Observed in some Protozoa. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Pelger-Huet nuclear anomaly | Congenital inhibition of lobulation in the nuclei of neutrophilic leukocytes; most cells present band or bilobulate appearance, and only an occasional cell is trilobed; it is not associated with disease, but may be confused with leukocyte "shift to left"; autosomal dominant inheritance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ribonucleoproteins, small nuclear | Highly conserved nuclear RNA-protein complexes that function in RNA processing in the nucleus, including pre-mRNA splicing and pre-mRNA 3'-end processing in the nucleoplasm. The u3 snrnp is localised in the nucleolus, where it aligns into base pairs with the 28s rrna precursor in a still unidentified region and functions in pre-rrna processing. The u7 snrnp aligns into base pairs with a conserved sequence in the 3'-end of histone pre-mRNA and is an essential cofactor for the cleavage that creates the mature nonadenylated 3'-end. (12 Dec 1998) |