SYNCYTIUM (syncytia)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: syncytia   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does syncytium mean? 

• SYNCYTIUM (noun)
  The noun SYNCYTIUM has 1 sense:

1. a mass of cytoplasm containing several nuclei and enclosed in a membrane but no internal cell boundaries (as in muscle fibers)

  Familiarity information: SYNCYTIUM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SYNCYTIUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A mass of cytoplasm containing several nuclei and enclosed in a membrane but no internal cell boundaries (as in muscle fibers)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("syncytium" is a kind of...):

cytol; cytoplasm (the protoplasm of a cell excluding the nucleus; is full of proteins that control cell metabolism)

 Context examples 

After attachment to and fusion of host cell membranes, MV-NIS induces syncytia and cell lysis.

(Oncolytic Measles Virus Encoding Thyroidal Sodium Iodide Symporter, NCI Thesaurus)

Mediated through CD46, both haemagglutinin and fusion glycoproteins of MV are required for the attachment to and fusion of host cell membranes, thereby leading to syncytia and cell lysis.

(Carcinoembryonic Antigen-Expressing Measles Virus, NCI Thesaurus)

Palivizumab neutralizes and inhibits fusion activity of RSV, thereby preventing syncytia formation.

(Palivizumab, NCI Thesaurus)

Viruses that are tropic for CXCR4 are generally syncytium forming, causing T cells to aggregate and be destroyed at a rapid rate.CXCR4 induces downstream signaling by several different pathways.

(CXCR4 Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Michellamine B inhibits HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) activity and HIV-induced cellular fusion and syncytium formation, thereby inhibiting viral propagation.

(Michellamine B, NCI Thesaurus)

They mediate or transduce inputs from enteric motor nerves to the smooth muscle syncytium.

(Interstitial Cell of Cajal, NCI Thesaurus)

The plural is syncytia.

(Giant Cell, NCI Dictionary)

RSV F protein, a small envelop glycoprotein, is not only required for cytopathic syncytia resulting from cell-to-cell fusion, but is also necessary for viral spreading and evading neutralizing antibody.

(Palivizumab, NCI Thesaurus)