List of abbreviations		 Vocabulary
of micros-
copic
anatomy
specialist terms
explained in
English +
German

Every attempt was made to provide correct information and labelling, however any liability for eventual errors or incompleteness is rejected!
dieser Seite

Editor:
Dr. med.
H. Jastrow
Conditions
of use
Overview Microvilli (Microvilli):
Pages with explanations are linked to the text below the images when available
microvilli kidney
proximal tubule (monkey)		 microvilli kidney proxi-
mal tubule (monkey) 2		 microvilli + Acinus
(exokrine pancreas, monkey)		 sensory microvilli of a taste pore
 (monkey)
microvilli anchored
in the terminal web (rat)		 anchored microvilli
ileum (rat) 2		 anchored microvilli 3
Ileum (monkey)		 anchored microvilli 4
enterocyte ileum (monkey)		 anchored microvilli 5
ileum (monkey)		 microvilli and
glycocalyx ileum (monkey)
microvilli goblet cell + Ki-
nocilia, trachea (monkey)		 microvilli + kinocilia
(trachea, monkey) 2		 kinocilia and
microvilli 3 (monkey)		 Kinocilia + Micro-
villi cross section (monkey)		 Microvilli cross section
with glycocalyx (monkey)		 Duodenum: Microvilli
cross section (monkey)
microvilli + glycocalix 1
(human pharyngeal tonsil)		 idem overview microvilli + glycocalix 2
(human pharyngeal tonsil)		 microvilli + glycocalix 3
(human pharyngeal tonsil)		 microvilli of the gut
(rat)		 microvilli of the colon +
large glycocalix (rat)
Microvilli (Terminologia anatomica: Mikrovilli) are small finger-like protrusions of the cell membrane that are not actively motile.
Usually microvilli are closely stretching parallel to each other in so called brush seams of resorbing epithelial cells.
Bundles of actin filaments embedded in cytoplasm are seen in the centres of microvilli. They are basally connected to the terminal web. Apically the filaments are attached to the thickened cell membrane on top of the microvilli. Lots of different proteins often connected to enzymes are located in the outer cell membrane of microvilli of the epithelial cells of the gut. Microvilli strongly increase the cell surface area and thus raise resorption significantly (about 300 times). The diameter of a microvillus is about 50 - 100 nm and its length is 1 - 2 µm in brush seams of intestinal cells, however in other epithelial cells length is about 100 - 200 nm and diameter ~ 50 nm. In the gut the apex of a microvillus anchors small filaments, the antennulae microvillares. The latter form the glykokalyx.

--> further cell surface differentiations: kinocilia, stereocilia
--> Electron microscopic atlas Overview
--> Homepage of the workshop

Some images were kindly provided by Prof. H. Wartenberg; other images, page & copyright H. Jastrow.