| meiotic spindle | The meiotic equivalent of the mitotic spindle. (18 Nov 1997) |
|---|---|
| cleavage spindle | The spindle formed during the cleavage of a zygote or its blastomeres. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mitotic spindle | See: spindle and mitosis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| mitotic spindle apparatus | An organelle consisting of three components: 1) the astral microtubules, which form around each centrosome and extend to the periphery; 2) the polar microtubules which extend from one spindle pole to the equator; and 3) the kinetochore microtubules, which connect the centromeres of the various chromosomes to either centrosome. (12 Dec 1998) |
| muscle spindle | A specialised muscle fibre found in tetrapod vertebrates. A bundle of muscle fibres is innervated by sensory neurons. Stretching the muscle causes the neurons to fire, the muscle spindle thus functions as a stretch receptor. (18 Nov 1997) |
| His' spindle | A fusiform dilation of the aorta immediately beyond the isthmus. Synonym: His' spindle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sleep spindle | The electroencephalographic record of 14-per-second bursts of wave frequency seen on EEG examination. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spindle | See: mitosis, spindle fibre. (18 Nov 1997) |
| spindle cataract | A cataract in which the opacity is fusiform, extending from one pole to the other. Synonym: fusiform cataract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spindle-celled layer | Layer 6 of the cortex cerebri. Synonym: multiform layer, polymorphous layer, spindle-celled layer. (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) |