coenocytose

Coenocytose is the process by which a cell becomes coenocytic, meaning it contains multiple nuclei within a common cytoplasm. A coenocyte is a multinucleate cell or tissue produced when nuclear divisions occur without accompanying cytokinesis, leaving the cytoplasm uninterrupted.

Coenocytic organization occurs in diverse groups. In fungi, many species have coenocytic hyphae that lack septa, so nuclei share a continuous cytoplasm as they grow. In some algae and plants, coenocytic stages appear in single cells or tissues; for example, certain green algae such as Caulerpa have multinucleate, single-cell thalli, and the endosperm of many cereals exhibits a transient syncytial (coenocytic) phase during early development before cellularization.

Mechanistically, coenocytosis typically arises from mitotic divisions without cytokinesis (karyokinesis without cytokinesis). In other contexts, nuclei may accumulate in a shared cytoplasm following cell fusion. The cytoplasm remains continuous, allowing distribution of organelles, nutrients, and transcriptional outputs across numerous nuclei, which can support rapid growth and regional specialization.

Functions and significance include enabling rapid expansion of cytoplasmic volume, efficient internal transport, and decentralized gene expression. The coenocytic form is often well suited to parasitic, saprotrophic, or rapidly growing lifestyles, as well as to developmental stages that require large cytoplasmic domains before cellular partitioning.

See also: syncytium, cytoplasmic division, multinucleate cell, fungal hyphae.