stroma
/ˈstrəʊmə
/noun (plural stromata /ˈstrəʊmətə/)
1 [mass noun] Anatomy & Biology The supportive tissue of an epithelial organ, tumour, gonad, etc., consisting of connective tissues and blood vessels: a loose stroma of connective tissue [mass noun]: the virus caused necrosis of epithelium and stroma...
- Loose connective tissue stroma predominated in the less cellular areas.
- The stroma consists of fatty tissue and ligaments surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.
- The deeper regions of the tumor showed hypocellularity and had an abundance of loose edematous stroma.
1.1The spongy framework of protein fibres in a red blood cell or platelet.The endometrial stroma has a framework consisting of reticular fibers and stromal cells....
- The surrounding stroma was infiltrated by plasma cells and scattered aggregates of lymphocytes, forming follicles with germinal centres.
- Typical plaques showed proliferation of myofibroblastic cells with myxoid stroma.
1.2 Botany The matrix of a chloroplast, in which the grana are embedded.Chloroplast envelopes, stacked grana and unstacked stroma thylakoids were well-defined....
- There is characteristically a dense sparsely cellular fibrous stroma.
- Granules of different sizes were noted in the chloroplast stroma in all treatments.
2 Botany A cushion-like mass of fungal tissue, having spore-bearing structures either embedded in it or on its surface: the fruiting body is tightly compressed and sessile on a stroma...
- This latter consisted of a few membranes irregularly distributed in the stroma or tightly pressed to form very electron-dense stacks.
- During in vivo measurements, excitation light is incident upon the epithelium, and must travel through this tissue layer before reaching the stroma.
- Transport proteins in the inner plastid envelope membrane connect the metabolism of plastid stroma and surrounding cytoplasm.
Derivatives
stromal
- A complete description of ovarian endometrial stromal sarcomas, adenosarcomas, and carcinosarcomas is presented.
- The drug has also proved effective against rare gastrointestinal stromal tumours and small-cell lung cancers.
- The prostate specimen showed glandular and stromal hyperplasia.
stromatic
- Exposure to two UV-B doses induced a notable increase in the grana-stromatic lamella ratio and luminal space dilation of the stromatic lamellas.
- The ncosomes in the sample are 1-10 cm thick, stromatic, and contain melanosomes at their margins.
Origin
Mid 19th century: modern Latin, via late Latin from Greek strōma 'coverlet'.