(biology) The larger of the two nuclei present in ciliate protozoans; it controls the nonreproductive functions of the cell.
Used in a Sentence
macronucleus
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for macronucleus.
Editorial note
It's sort of like a multicellular organism dying, since whatever the old macronucleus learned will be forgotten.
Examples10
Definitions1
Parts of speech1
Quick take
(biology) The larger of the two nuclei present in ciliate protozoans; it controls the nonreproductive functions of the cell.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of macronucleus gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for macronucleus.
noun
(biology) The larger of the two nuclei present in ciliate protozoans; it controls the nonreproductive functions of the cell.
Example sentences
It's sort of like a multicellular organism dying, since whatever the old macronucleus learned will be forgotten.
Perhaps gene expression in the macronucleus even changes in a way that learns about its environment.
These cells discard the macronucleus, forming a new one from the new micronucleus.
This specializes the regular nucleus for reproduction, while the macronucleus becomes a sort of brain, using DNA as an information processing and storage engine?
It calls attention to the brain-like activity of the regular nucleus in cells that don't have a macronucleus, and of the raw DNA in a bacterium.
The macronucleus contains numerous copies of DNA from the micronucleus, which could provide a lot of scope for states that are represented in terms of gene activations, allowing behaviours such as described in the article.
Quote examples
Generally the new cells immediately recreate their "sexual organs", which are deactivated immediately after creation, and the newly formed cells go about their business under the direction of their new macronucleus.
The cell then "kills" (eats-sort of) the "old" cell macronucleus.
Ciliates are very elaborate single-celled organisms, with the unusual feature of having a "macronucleus" in addition to a "micronucleus" that is similar to the single nucleus of other eukaryote cells.
A newly "born" ciliate has a "micronucleus", similar to one of ours, from which it makes multiple copies of its DNA to form a "macronucleus", which does all the work.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use macronucleus in a sentence?
It's sort of like a multicellular organism dying, since whatever the old macronucleus learned will be forgotten.
What does macronucleus mean?
(biology) The larger of the two nuclei present in ciliate protozoans; it controls the nonreproductive functions of the cell.
What part of speech is macronucleus?
macronucleus is commonly used as noun.