noun
- A fungal cell or organism containing two or more genetically distinct nuclei from different sources.
Usage: biology; mycology; technical
Examples
- The heterokaryon was created by fusing two different fungal strains in the laboratory.
- Researchers used heterokaryons to study genetic complementation in fungi.
- A heterokaryon can display phenotypic traits from both parent nuclei.
- The formation of a heterokaryon allowed scientists to map genes in Neurospora.