fibril Hear it!

fibril Definition

fi·bril (brəl)

noun

  1. a small fiber, esp. a component of a larger fiber
  2. a root hair

Etymology: < ModL fibrilla, dim. of L fibra, fiber

fibril Related Forms
fi·bril·lar (-brə lər) adjective or fi·bril·lar′y-brə ler′ē
fibril Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • form: Outside the cell, collagen molecules become aligned in parallel formations, and then they link up laterally to form fibrils.
  • find: Out of a whole day's work he had found only 2 fibrils, 1 of which was on the first grid.

Preposition: in

  • cornea: The lobed appearance indicates the orientation of the collagen fibrils in the cornea.

Adjective modifier

  • amyloid: The amyloid fibril consists of polypeptide chains derived from the acute phase protein found in serum: serum amyloid A ( SAA ).
  • scrapie-associated: February 1987 The CVL identifies scrapie-associated fibrils ( SAFs ) in some of the brain samples referred to it.
  • small: Electron microscopy reveals that elastic fibers are composed of bundles of small fibrils approximately 11 nm in diameter embedded in an amorphous material.
  • contractile: Units of the sarcoplasmic reticulum surround the contractile fibrils in the interior of cardiac muscle cells.
  • insoluble: In these disorders, normally soluble proteins fold abnormally and become insoluble fibrils that damage tissue.

Modifies a noun

  • diameter: Mean fibril diameters remained constant across all corneas up to the limbus, whereupon a sharp increase was observed.
  • formation: We now will use this exceptionally favorable system to systematically dissect the driving forces of amyloid fibril formation.
  • morphology: Acidification of beta 2 m induces amyloid formation in vitro and variations in environmental conditions produce different fibril morphologies.

Noun used with modifier

  • collagen: Lots of these collagen fibrils are bound together to form collagen fibers that easily can be seen with a light microscope.
  • cellulose: The cell wall is approximately 50 % cellulose fibrils.
  • protein: The fat melts and cooks the protein fibrils in the muscle bundles without causing excessive amino acid breakdown.
  • chromatin: The thickness of the axial chromatin fibril is 6-10 nm.