1. SYN: filamentum. 2. In bacteriology, a fine threadlike form, unsegmented or segmented without constrictions. [L. filamentum, fr. filum, a thread]
- actin f. one of the contractile elements in muscular fibers and other cells; in skeletal muscle, the actin filaments are about 5 nm wide and 100 μm long, and attach to the transverse Z filaments. SYN: thin f..
- axial f. the central f. of a flagellum or cilium; with the electron microscope it is seen as a complex of nine peripheral diplomicrotubules and a central pair of microtubules. SYN: axoneme (2).
- cytokeratin filaments SYN: keratin filaments.
- intermediate filaments a class of tough protein filaments (including keratin filaments, neurofilaments, desmin, and vimentin) that measure 8–10 nm in thickness and comprise part of the cytoskeleton of the cytoplasm of most eukaryotic cells; so named because they are intermediate in thickness between actin filaments and microtubules.
- keratin filaments a class of intermediate filaments that form a network within epithelial cells and anchor to desmosomes, thus imparting tensile strength to the tissue. SYN: cytokeratin filaments.
- myosin f. one of the contractile elements in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle fibers; in skeletal muscle, the f. is about 10 nm thick and 1.5 μm long. SYN: thick f..
- parabasal f. term formerly used for rhizoplast.
- thick f. SYN: myosin f..
- thin f. SYN: actin f..
- Z f. the thin zig-zag structure at the Z line of striated muscle fibers to which the actin filaments attach.
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fil·a·ment 'fil-ə-mənt n a single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object, process, or appendage esp an elongated thin series of cells attached one to another or a very long thin cylindrical single cell (as of some algae, fungi, or bacteria)
fil·a·men·tous .fil-ə-'ment-əs adj
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n.
a very fine threadlike structure, such as a chain of bacterial cells.
• filamentous adj.
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fil·a·ment (filґə-mənt) [L. filamentum, from filum thread] a delicate fiber or thread.Medical dictionary. 2011.