cnidocyte
Sign in to saveAlso known as cnidoblast, nematocyte, cnidocyte cells, cnidocyte cell
thumb|Nomarski micrograph of a [[ruthenium red-stained nematocyst from Aiptasia pallida, the pale anemone. The red dye stains the polyanionic venom proteins found inside the capsule of this partially-discharged nematocyst.]]
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- cell type
Show 2 more facts
- described by source
- Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia
- Commons category
- Nematocyst
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Encyclopedic overview
14 sectionsContents
- Structure and function
- Cnidocyte capsule composition
- Discharge mechanism
- Fluid dynamics in nematocyst discharge
- Prey detection
- Types of cnidae
- Cnidocyte development
- Modes of renewal
- Cnidocyst maturation
- Nematocyst toxicity
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|Nomarski micrograph of a [[ruthenium red-stained nematocyst from Aiptasia pallida, the pale anemone. The red dye stains the polyanionic venom proteins found inside the capsule of this partially-discharged nematocyst.]]
A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast) is a type of cell containing a large secretory organelle called a cnidocyst, that can deliver a sting to other organisms as a way to subdue prey and defend against predators. A cnidocyte explosively ejects the toxin-containing cnidocyst which is responsible for the stings delivered by a cnidarian. The presence of this cell defines the phylum Cnidaria, which also includes the corals, sea anemones, hydrae, and jellyfish. Cnidocytes are single-use cells that need to be continuously replaced.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “cnidocyte” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.