Stereocilia

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Stereocilia
Stereocilia of frog inner ear
Identifiers
MeSH	D059547
TH	H1.00.01.1.01013
Anatomical terms of microanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

Stereocilia (or stereovilli or villi) are non-motile apical cell modifications. They are distinct from

Stereocilia are cylindrical and non-motile. They are much longer and thicker than microvilli, form single "finger-like" projections that may be branched, and have more of the characteristics of the cellular membrane proper. Like microvilli, they contain actin^[1] and lack an axoneme. This distinguishes them from cilia.

They do not have a basal body at their base since they do not contain microtubules. They may or may not be covered by a glycocalyx coating. They have no fixed arrangement, different to the structure present in kinocilium.

Organs containing stereocilia

Stereocilia are found in:

• the vas deferens.
• the epididymis. Some consider epididymal stereocilia to be a variant of microvilli, rather than their own distinct type of structure.^[2]
• the sensory (hair) cells of the inner ear.

References