ventral disk dorsal microribbon, dorsal microribbon, dorsal ribbon, microribbon
Alternate IDs
None
Definition
Trilaminar structure extending perpendicularly into the cytoplasm along the length of ventral disc microtubules in Giardia species (trophozoite stage). Constituents of dorsal microribbons (also called dorsal ribbons or microribbons) include alpha-coiled-helix proteins approximately 29 to 38 kDa in size. These proteins line the edges of the microribbons but are not found in microtubules. Tubulins are not found in microribbons.
Source:
GOC:giardia,
PMID:11432808
Comment
Due to the asymmetric nature of the Giardia trophozoite, this term is defined spatially as the trophozoite is viewed from the dorsal side, with the two nuclei dorsal to the ventral disc, and the ventral disc toward the anterior.