In biology, a tubule is a general term referring to small tube or similar type of structure. Specifically, tubule can refer to: * a small tube or fistular structure * a minute tube lined with glandular epithelium * any hollow cylindrical body structure * a minute canal found in various structures or organs of the body * a slender elongated anatomical channel * a minute tube, especially as an anatomical structure.

Examples of tubules

* Collecting tubules: terminal channels of the

nephrons The nephron is the minute or microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney. It is composed of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule. The renal corpuscle consists of a tuft of capillaries called a glomerulus and a cup-shaped structure ...

* Cuvierian tubules: clusters of sticky tubules located at the base of the respiratory tree, which may be discharged by some sea cucumbers ( holothurians) when mechanically stimulated (i.e. being threatened by a predator) * Dentinal tubules or dental canaliculi: minute channels in the dentine of a

tooth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...

that extend from the

pulp cavity The pulp is the connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, and odontoblasts that comprise the innermost layer of a tooth. The pulp's activity and signalling processes regulate its behaviour. Anatomy The pulp is the neurovascular bundle cent ...

to the cementum or the enamel *

Distal convoluted tubule The distal convoluted tubule (DCT) is a portion of kidney nephron between the loop of Henle and the collecting tubule. Physiology It is partly responsible for the regulation of potassium, sodium, calcium, and pH. On its apical surface (lumen ...

: the convoluted portion of the vertebrate

nephron The nephron is the minute or microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney. It is composed of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule. The renal corpuscle consists of a tuft of capillaries called a glomerulus and a cup-shaped structure ...

that lies between the loop of Henle and the nonsecretory part of the

and that is concerned especially with the concentration of

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellular ...

* Galactophorous tubule or lactiferous ducts: small channels for the passage of milk from the secreting cells in the

mammary gland A mammary gland is an exocrine gland in humans and other mammals that produces milk to feed young offspring. Mammals get their name from the Latin word ''mamma'', "breast". The mammary glands are arranged in organs such as the breasts in pr ...

to the

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth ...

Loop of Henle In the kidney, the loop of Henle () (or Henle's loop, Henle loop, nephron loop or its Latin counterpart ''ansa nephroni'') is the portion of a nephron that leads from the proximal convoluted tubule to the distal convoluted tubule. Named after i ...

: the long U-shaped part of the renal tubule, extending through the medulla from the end of the proximal convoluted tubule. It begins with a descending limb (comprising the proximal straight tubule and the thin tubule ), followed by the ascending limb (the distal straight tubule ), and ending at the

distal convoluted tubule The distal convoluted tubule (DCT) is a portion of kidney nephron between the loop of Henle and the collecting tubule. Physiology It is partly responsible for the regulation of potassium, sodium, calcium, and pH. On its apical surface (lumen ...

* Malpighian tubule: any of the excretory organs in

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

that lie in the

abdominal body cavity The abdominal cavity is a large body cavity in humans and many other animals that contains many Organ (anatomy), organs. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shap ...

and empty into the junction between the midgut and hindgut * Mesonephric tubule: tubules comprising the mesonephros or temporary

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

of amniotes * Metanephric tubule: tubules comprising the permanent

of amniotes * Microtubule: a microscopically small tubule * Proximal convoluted tubule: the portion of the

immediately after the glomerulus * Renal tubule: the minute canals made up of

basement membrane The basement membrane is a thin, pliable sheet-like type of extracellular matrix that provides cell and tissue support and acts as a platform for complex signalling. The basement membrane sits between epithelial tissues including mesothelium and ...

and lined with epithelium, composing the substance of the

and secreting, reabsorbing, collecting and conducting the

. Include proximal convoluted, the nephron loop (containing the proximal straight tubule, descending and ascending thin, and the distal straight tubules) and the distal convoluted tubules * Seminiferous tubules: any of the numerous long convoluted tubules in the

testis A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testoster ...

which are the sites where

spermatozoa A spermatozoon (; also spelled spermatozoön; ; ) is a motile sperm cell (biology), cell, or moving form of the ploidy, haploid cell (biology), cell that is the male gamete. A spermatozoon Fertilization, joins an ovum to form a zygote. (A zygote ...

mature * T tubule: transverse intracellular tubules invaginating from the

cell membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (the ...

and surrounding the

myofibrils A myofibril (also known as a muscle fibril or sarcostyle) is a basic rod-like organelle of a muscle cell. Skeletal muscles are composed of long, tubular cells known as muscle fibers, and these cells contain many chains of myofibrils. Each myof ...

of the T system of skeletal and cardiac muscle, serving as a pathway for the spread of electrical excitation within a

muscle cell A muscle cell is also known as a myocyte when referring to either a cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocyte), or a smooth muscle cell as these are both small cells. A skeletal muscle cell is long and threadlike with many nuclei and is called a m ...

Trachea The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air-breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends from th ...

: tubules forming the

respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

of most

and many

arachnids Arachnida () is a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals (arthropods), in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vine ...

* Uriniferous tubules: any of the small tubules that are the excretory units of the vertebrate

* Uveoscleral pathway: a tubule that drains excess aqueous humor * Vasa efferentia: convoluted tubules that lead from the rete testis to the

vas deferens The vas deferens or ductus deferens is part of the male reproductive system of many vertebrates. The ducts transport sperm from the epididymis to the ejaculatory ducts in anticipation of ejaculation. The vas deferens is a partially coiled t ...

and form the head of the

epididymis The epididymis (; plural: epididymides or ) is a tube that connects a testicle to a vas deferens in the male reproductive system. It is a single, narrow, tightly-coiled tube in adult humans, in length. It serves as an interconnection between t ...

Vesicular-tubular clusters The vesicular-tubular cluster (VTC), also referred to as the endoplasmic-reticulum–Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), is an organelle in eukaryotic cells. This compartment mediates trafficking between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi ...

between the

golgi apparatus The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles ...

and

endoplasmic reticulum The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is, in essence, the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. It is a type of organelle made up of two subunits – rough endoplasmic reticulum ( ...

which assist in transport.

References

{{Reflist Histology