Some evidence for the continuity of ciliary fibrils and microtubules in the insect sensory dendrite

Abstract

Evidence has been obtained that the microtubules of the insect sensory dendrite may originate from the nine pairs of peripheral fibrils in the ciliary portion of the dendrite and retain direct continuity with them. The peripheral fibrils separate and each of the single fibrils resulting appears to divide one or more times. The number of microtubules within the dendrite distal to the ciliary region often lies close to 18 or to a multiple of 18, such as 36 or 72. If our interpretation is correct, the basal bodies, their rootlets, the ciliary fibrils and microtubules of the insect sensory dendrite form a continuous structure with the probable function of a cytoskeleton.