noun
- Plural of cytoplast; a cell or cell fragment consisting of cytoplasm without a nucleus, produced by removing or destroying the nucleus of a cell.
Usage: technical; biology; used in cell biology and biotechnology research
Examples
- Cytoplasts are created by removing the nucleus from a living cell using mechanical or chemical methods.
- Researchers used cytoplasts in fusion experiments to study the role of the nucleus in cell function.
- The cytoplasts retained some metabolic activity even without nuclear DNA.
- In cloning research, cytoplasts serve as recipients for donor nuclei.
- Cytoplasts have been used to investigate cytoplasmic inheritance patterns.