Pl. reticula [L.]
1. a small network, especially a protoplasmic network in cells.
2. reticular tissue.
3. the smallest, most cranial section of the compound stomach of ruminants, lined with mucous membrane folded into a hexagonal pattern. Called also honeycomb. It communicates cranially with the esophagus and caudally with the rumen.
- r. (1) cell — see reticular1 cells.
- r. (1) cell leukemia — see malignant histiocytosis.
- r. (1) cell sarcoma — see cutaneous lymphosarcoma.
- endoplasmic r. (1) — an ultramicroscopic organelle of nearly all higher plant and animal cells, consisting of a system of membrane-bound cavities in the cytoplasm, occurring in two types: granular or rough-surfaced, bearing large numbers of ribosomes on its outer surface, and concerned mainly with protein production, and agranular or smooth-surfaced, concerned with lipid and glycogen synthesis and cholesterol metabolism. See also rough endoplasmic reticulum.
- sarcoplasmic r. (1) — a form of agranular reticulum in the sarcoplasm of striated muscle, comprising a system of smooth-surfaced tubules surrounding each myofibril.
- transmissible r. (1) cell tumor — see canine transmissible venereal tumor.
- transmissible venereal r. (1) cell tumor — see canine transmissible venereal tumor.