Syncytium (Noun)
Meaning
A mass of cytoplasm containing several nuclei and enclosed in a membrane but no internal cell boundaries (as in muscle fibers).
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- A cardiac syncytium is formed by the interaction of multiple heart muscle cells that function together in a single unit.
- Muscle fibers from an embryo undergo cellular fusions, which create a multinucleated syncytium.
- The syncytium found in muscle fibers is composed of various myofibrils separated by sarcoplasm.
- Studies have shown that human skeletal muscle fibers consist of a single syncytium.
- In adult mammals the syncytium develops within the skeletal muscle to form multinucleated muscle fibers.