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microvillus

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Also known as GO:0005902

Microvilli (: microvillus) are microscopic cellular membrane protrusions that increase the surface area for diffusion and minimize any increase in volume, and are involved in a wide variety of functions, including absorption, secretion, cellular adhesion, and mechanotransduction.

Key facts

Microanatomy.Name
Microvillus
Microanatomy.Latin
microvillus
Microanatomy.Image
Human jejunum microvilli 2 - TEM.jpg
Microanatomy.Caption
Enterocytes with microvilli

via Wikipedia infobox

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Structure
  • Locations
  • Relationship to cell
  • Function
  • Glycocalyx
  • Clinical significance
  • Destruction
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Microvilli (: microvillus) are microscopic cellular membrane protrusions that increase the surface area for diffusion and minimize any increase in volume, and are involved in a wide variety of functions, including absorption, secretion, cellular adhesion, and mechanotransduction.

==Structure== Microvilli are covered in plasma membrane, which encloses cytoplasm and microfilaments. Though these are cellular extensions, there are little or no cellular organelles present in the microvilli.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “microvillus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.