ultrastructure
Subcellular fine detail
Ultrastructure refers to the fine internal structure of cells and tissues, visible only under electron microscopy—details too small for ordinary light microscopes to resolve.
The term appears in biology and medicine when describing organelles, membranes, and other cellular components at the molecular level: The ultrastructure of the mitochondria revealed damage consistent with the disease.
Cell's energy-producing organelles
- ribosomesCellular translation machinery
- endoplasmic reticulumCytoplasmic membrane network for synthesis
- Golgi apparatusProtein processing organelle
- lysosomesOrganelles containing breakdown enzymes
peroxisomes · nucleolus · chromatin · plastids · vacuoles · vesicles · centrioles · cilia
Hollow cellular protein structures
- microfilamentsThinnest cytoskeletal protein strands
- macromoleculesVery large molecular structures
- proteinsAmino acid polymers
- nucleic acidsBiopolymers carrying genetic code
Smaller than cells
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- self-assemblySpontaneous structural organization
Imaging via focused particle beams
- micrographMicroscope photograph
- fixationPersistent mental attachment
- embeddingPlacing within surrounding mass
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
nanometer · contrast · specimen · imaging · tomography
mitochondria
Cell's energy-producing organelles
- ribosomesCellular translation machinery
- endoplasmic reticulumCytoplasmic membrane network for synthesis
- Golgi apparatusProtein processing organelle
lysosomes · peroxisomes · nucleolus · chromatin · plastids · vacuoles · vesicles · centrioles · cilia · flagella
microtubules
Hollow cellular protein structures
- microfilamentsThinnest cytoskeletal protein strands
- macromoleculesVery large molecular structures
- proteinsAmino acid polymers
subcellular
Smaller than cells
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- self-assemblySpontaneous structural organization
electron microscopy
Imaging via focused particle beams
- micrographMicroscope photograph
- fixationPersistent mental attachment
- embeddingPlacing within surrounding mass
resolution · nanometer · contrast · specimen · imaging · tomography
structure, construction, instruct, destruction, infrastructure, structural, structures, restructure, unstructured