Syncytium
Syncytium is a living tissue where there are no complete cell walls (plants) or cell membranes (animals). Syncytia have cytoplasm and many nuclei, but are not divided into separate cells.[1]
Examples
[change | change source]- Fungal hyphae are often syncytia.
- Lichen tissue may be syncytia with enclosed algal or bacterial cells.
- Many insect eggs develop by nuclear division without cell membranes.
- Skeletal muscles in vertebrates are syncytia: it allows rapid coordinated contraction of muscles along their entire length.
- The placenta of mammals is a syncytium.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ King R.C. Stansfield W.D. & Mulligan P.K. 2006. A dictionary of genetics, 7th ed. Oxford. p435 ISBN 978-0195307610