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.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Syncytium
3. What is Coenocyte
4. Similarities Between Syncytium and Coenocyte
5. Side by Side Comparison – Syncytium vs Coenocyte in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Syncytium?
A syncytium is a multinucleate cell derived from the fusion of many uni-nuclear cells followed by the dissolution of their cell membranes. These cells are present in heart and smooth muscles interconnected with gap junctions. Apart from that, the most significant example of syncytia is the skeletal muscle. Multinucleated skeletal muscle fibers is a result of the fusion of thousands of uni-nuclear skeletal muscles cells together.
Figure 01: Syncytium
In plants, syncytia are present in the developing embryo, plasmodium tapetum, non-articulated laticifers, and nucellar plasmodium. Moreover, the syncytium is the normal mycelial cell structure possessed by fungal species of Basidiomycota.
What is Coenocyte?
A coenocyte or a coenocytic cell is a multinucleate cell which is a result of multiple nuclear divisions without undergoing cytokinesis. These cells are present in different types of protists such as algae, protozoa, slime molds and alveolates. When considering algae, coenocytic cells are present in red algae, green algae and Xanthophyceae. The entire thallus of siphonous green algae is a single coenocytic cell.
Figure 02: Coenocyte
In plants, the endosperm initiates its growth when one fertilized cell becomes a coenocyte. Different plant species produce many coenocytic cells with a different number of nuclei. Apart from plants, some filamentous fungi contain coenocytic mycelia with multiple nuclei. Those coenocytes functions as a single coordinated unit with multiple cells.
What are the Similarities Between Syncytium and Coenocyte?
- Syncytium and coenocyte are cells that contain multiple nuclei.
- Moreover, these types of multinucleated cells are present in plants, fungi and animals.
What is the Difference Between Syncytium and Coenocyte?
Syncytium is a multinucleated cell that is formed due to cell aggregation followed by the dissolution of the cell membranes while coenocyte is a multinucleated cell formed due to multiple nuclear divisions without undergoing cytokinesis. Thus, this serves as the key difference between syncytium and coenocyte. Moreover, a further difference between syncytium and coenocyte is that the syncytia are commonly present in muscle fibers while coenocytes are commonly present in mycelia of filamentous fungi.
Below infographic provides more details on the difference between syncytium and coenocyte.
Summary – Syncytium vs Coenocyte
In brief, syncytium and coenocytes are two types of cells which are multinucleate. However, the difference between syncytium and coenocyte lies in their formation and development process. Syncytium develops due to the cell aggregation followed by the dissolution of the cell membrane while coenocyte develops due to multiple nuclear division without undergoing cytokinesis. Both cellular structures are present in plants, fungi, and animals. Filamentous fungi commonly have coenocytic cells while human skeleton muscles commonly have syncytia.
Reference:
1. “Coenocytic Cell.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Available here.
2. “Syncytium.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “CellFusionTypes” By Gargamol2000 – (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “NSRW Coenocyte” By Unknown – The New Student’s Reference Work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia