Multinucleate

Multinucleate cells (also known as multinucleated cells or polynuclear cells) are eukaryotic cells that have more than one nucleus, i.e., multiple nuclei share one common cytoplasm. Mitosis in multinucleate cells can occur either in a coordinated, synchronous manner where all nuclei divide simultaneously or asynchronously where individual nuclei divide independently in time and space. Certain organisms may have a multinuclear stage of their life cycle. For example, slime molds have a vegetative, multinucleate life stage called a plasmodium.[1]

Although not normally viewed as a case of multinucleation, plant cells share a common cytoplasm by plasmodesmata, and most cells in animal tissues are in communication with their neighbors via gap junctions.[2]

Multinucleate cells, depending on the mechanism by which they are formed, can be divided into[3][4] "syncytia" (formed by cell fusion) or "coenocytes" (formed by nuclear division not being followed by cytokinesis).[5]

A number of dinoflagellates are known to have two nuclei. Unlike other multinucleated cells these nuclei contain two distinct lineages of DNA; one from the dinoflagellate and the other from a symbiotic diatom.[6]

Some bacteria, such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a pathogen of the respiratory tract, may display multinuclear filaments as a result of a delay between genome replication and cellular division.[7]

  1. ^ Haindl M, Holler E (July 2005). "Use of the giant multinucleate plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum to study RNA interference in the myxomycete". Analytical Biochemistry. 342 (2): 194–9. doi:10.1016/j.ab.2005.03.031. PMID 15922285.
  2. ^ Walter P, Roberts K, Raff M, Lewis J, Johnson A, Alberts B (2002). "Cell Junctions". Molecular Biology of the Cell (4th ed.). ISBN 9780815332183. OCLC 807894238.
  3. ^ Boyd JD, Hamilton WJ (July 1966). "Electron microscopic observations on the cytotrophoblast contribution to the syncytium in the human placenta". Journal of Anatomy. 100 (Pt 3): 535–48. PMC 1270795. PMID 5965440.
  4. ^ Read ND, Roca GM (2006). "Chapter 5: Vegetative Hyphal Fusion in Filamentous Fungi". In Baluška F, Volkmann D, Barlow PW (eds.). Cell-Cell Channels. Landes Bioscience and Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 87–98. ISBN 978-0-387-36058-4.
  5. ^ Daubenmire, Rexford F. (1936-12-11). "The Use of the Terms Coenocyte and Syncytium in Biology". Science. 84 (2189): 533. doi:10.1126/science.84.2189.533.a. ISSN 0036-8075.
  6. ^ Imanian B, Pombert JF, Dorrell RG, Burki F, Keeling PJ (2012). "Tertiary endosymbiosis in two dinotoms has generated little change in the mitochondrial genomes of their dinoflagellate hosts and diatom endosymbionts". Primary. PLOS ONE. 7 (8): e43763. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...743763I. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043763. PMC 3423374. PMID 22916303.
  7. ^ Razin S, Baron S (1996). Baron S (ed.). Mycoplasmas (4th ed.). University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. ISBN 978-0963117212. PMID 21413254. Retrieved 2018-09-19. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)