Uninucleate

Uninucleate is a term used in cell biology to describe cells that contain a single nucleus. It contrasts with multinucleate cells, which house two or more nuclei within a single cell, and with anucleate cells, which lack a nucleus entirely. The majority of animal somatic cells are uninucleate, though exceptions occur. Hepatocytes in the liver frequently display two nuclei, and in some cases more; this binucleation is common but not universal. Skeletal muscle fibers are classic examples of multinucleation, resulting from the fusion of myoblasts to form long, syncytial cells. In contrast, smooth muscle cells and most cardiac muscle cells are typically uninucleate, although occasional binucleation can be observed in cardiac tissue.

In humans, mature erythrocytes are anucleate, having expelled their nucleus during maturation to maximize space for hemoglobin and flexibility in capillaries. Other cell types may become uninucleate during differentiation or due to pathological conditions that disrupt nuclear division.

The number of nuclei can influence cellular function and growth. Multinucleation is often associated with high synthetic capacity or syncytial tissues, while a single nucleus suffices for many routine cellular activities. The term uninucleate is used in anatomy, histology, and pathology to describe the nuclear status of cells and to help categorize tissue types and developmental states.