microtubule-organizing centre

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microtubule-organizing centre (MTOC) A region of a cell from which radiate microtubules of the cytoskeleton. Most animal cells contain a single MTOC, the centrosome, which is located near the nucleus and is also involved in organizing the spindle during nuclear division (see mitosis). In contrast, a plant cell typically has hundreds of MTOCs, producing girdle-like arrays of microtubules running around the cell's inner periphery.