coenocyte
Sign in to savethumb|Coenocyte of Sphaeroforma arctica thumb|Botrydium, showing a coenocytic body A coenocyte () is a multinucleate cell which can result from multiple nuclear divisions without their accompanying cytokinesis, in contrast to a syncytium, which results from cellular aggregation followed by dissolution of the cell membranes inside the mass. The word syncytium in animal embryology is used to refer to the coenocytic blastoderm of invertebrates. A coenocytic colony is referred to as a coenobium (: coenobia), and most coenobia are composed of a distinct number of cells, often as a power of two (4,
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Article
12 sectionsContents
- Physiological examples
- Protists
- Algae
- Myxogastrids (slime molds)
- Plants
- Fungi
- Metazoans: invertebrates
- Pathological examples
- Etymology
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Coenocyte of Sphaeroforma arctica thumb|Botrydium, showing a coenocytic body A coenocyte () is a multinucleate cell which can result from multiple nuclear divisions without their accompanying cytokinesis, in contrast to a syncytium, which results from cellular aggregation followed by dissolution of the cell membranes inside the mass. The word syncytium in animal embryology is used to refer to the coenocytic blastoderm of invertebrates. A coenocytic colony is referred to as a coenobium (: coenobia), and most coenobia are composed of a distinct number of cells, often as a power of two (4, 8, etc.).
Research suggests that coenobium formation may be a defense against grazing in some species.