noun
- A cytoplasmic organelle in certain protozoans (especially flagellates) that serves as the base or root of a flagellum.
Usage: biology; technical; also called basal body or kinetosome in some contexts
Examples
- The blepharoplast anchors the flagellum to the cell body in many flagellated protozoans.
- Under the electron microscope, researchers observed the blepharoplast at the base of the protozoan's flagellum.
- The blepharoplast is essential for the coordinated movement of the flagellum.
- In trypanosomes, the blepharoplast is located near the kinetoplast.
- The structure and position of the blepharoplast vary among different species of flagellates.