Difference between syncytium and coenocyte?
Answers
Answer: The key difference between syncytium and coenocyte is that the syncytium is a multinucleate cell that develops due to the cellular aggregation followed by the dissolution of cell membranes while the coenocyte is a multinucleate cell that develops due to the multiple nuclear divisions without undergoing cytokinesis.
Generally, a cell contains a single nucleus. However, due to some reasons, multinucleate cells can be developed in certain organisms. Syncytium and coenocyte are two types of cells that are multinucleate. In fact, they are a cluster of cells with no individual cell separations. The difference between syncytium and coenocyte stems from their formation. Syncytium is a result of cellular fusion by the dissolution of cell membranes while coenocyte is a result of multiple nuclear divisions without undergoing cytokinesis.