Centrioles and Basal Bodies
Basically these are the same thing. A centriole is made up of nine (9) sets of triplet microtubules. A centiole is commonly found in the centrosome, which is where the asters originate during metaphase of cell division. A important note is that plant cells commonly do not have centrioles and they are not required for division. A triplet contains one complete microtubule fused to two incomplete microtubules. The centriole is a short cylinder-like structure. The centriole is important in the formation of cilia or flagella, then it is called a basal body are typically thought in relation to cilium or flagellum, where as, centrioles are associated with the cytoskeleton. Centrioles are surrounded by a densely staining material pericentriolar material, this is where most of the microtubules arise from, also in cells without centrioles, the microtubules are organized from this densely stained material.
Centrioles as mentioned earlier are often known for their role in cell division. Centrioles seem to determine the position of the pericentriolar material, which in turn affects the polarity of the cell.
Also see http://cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/cilia.htm#Centrioles
with some great pictures.
Please send questions/comments/suggestions to: Mark Dalton at
markwdalton@gmail.com.