noun
- Plural of kinetosome; small, cylindrical organelles found in certain protozoans and other cells that serve as basal bodies for flagella and cilia.
Usage: technical; biology; also called basal bodies or basal corpuscles
Examples
- The kinetosomes of the flagellate protozoan are arranged in a characteristic pattern.
- Under the electron microscope, kinetosomes appear as dense, cylindrical structures at the base of each flagellum.
- The kinetosomes in this organism are responsible for organizing and anchoring the flagellar apparatus.
- Researchers studied the kinetosomes to understand how the cell generates movement.
- The number and arrangement of kinetosomes varies among different species of protozoans.