Organization and density of microtubules in the vestibular sensory cells in the cat.

In the vestibular receptors, the cytoplasmic hair cell microtubules manifest a particular affinity for the membraneous areas juxtaposed to an afferent nerve terminal. Moreover, their number is greater in the type I cells, which possess larger neuro-epithelial surface contacts than either in the type II cells or in the supporting cells. In the discussion, two hypotheses are proposed according to the results; the first concerns the structural role of the cytoskeleton and the second suggests its participation in sensory transduction.