microtubule
noun
mi·cro·tu·bule
ˌmī-krō-ˈtü-(ˌ)byül 
-ˈtyü-
: any of the minute tubules in eukaryotic cytoplasm that are composed of the protein tubulin and form an important component of the cytoskeleton, mitotic spindle, cilia, and flagella
Examples of microtubule in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These proteins can malfunction, clump together and create tangles – preventing the microtubules from functioning properly.
—
New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025
These synapses are supported by 'rail tracks' that enable the flow of essential nutrients and information, and they're called microtubules.
—New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025
Found exclusively in neurons, tau proteins bind to the internal skeleton-like structure of cells, known as microtubules.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
In healthy neurons, the tau protein stabilizes microtubules, crucial tube-like structures that, together with neurofilaments, maintain the neurons’ shape and provide mechanical support.
—New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2024
In dementia, these microtubules degrade, resulting in the death of brain cells.
—New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2024
Tau helps microtubules distributed throughout the neuron give the cell its shape and transport nutrients and other cellular materials.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
One color shows the cell nucleus (to mark where each cell is) and others show the structural component actin (which determines the shape of the cell) and the microtubules that are part of the communication and transport network within a cell.
—Eva Amsen, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Penrose, together with anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, suggested that such collapse takes place in microtubules, tubelike, elongated structural proteins that form part of the cytoskeleton of cells, such as those making up the central nervous system.
—Hartmut Neven, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2024
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New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025
These synapses are supported by 'rail tracks' that enable the flow of essential nutrients and information, and they're called microtubules.
—New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025
Found exclusively in neurons, tau proteins bind to the internal skeleton-like structure of cells, known as microtubules.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
In healthy neurons, the tau protein stabilizes microtubules, crucial tube-like structures that, together with neurofilaments, maintain the neurons’ shape and provide mechanical support.
—New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2024
In dementia, these microtubules degrade, resulting in the death of brain cells.
—New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2024
Tau helps microtubules distributed throughout the neuron give the cell its shape and transport nutrients and other cellular materials.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
One color shows the cell nucleus (to mark where each cell is) and others show the structural component actin (which determines the shape of the cell) and the microtubules that are part of the communication and transport network within a cell.
—Eva Amsen, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Penrose, together with anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, suggested that such collapse takes place in microtubules, tubelike, elongated structural proteins that form part of the cytoskeleton of cells, such as those making up the central nervous system.
—Hartmut Neven, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Microtubule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microtubule. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
microtubule
noun
mi·cro·tu·bule
ˌmī-krō-ˈt(y)ü-(ˌ)byü(ə)l
: any of the minute tubules in eukaryotic cytoplasm that are composed of the protein tubulin and form an important component of the cytoskeleton, mitotic spindle, cilia, and flagella
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