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micronucleus

American  
[mahy-kroh-noo-klee-uhs, -nyoo-] / ˌmaɪ kroʊˈnu kli əs, -ˈnju- /

noun

Biology.
micronuclei plural
  1. the smaller of the two types of nuclei occurring in ciliate protozoans.


micronucleus British  
/ ˌmaɪkrəʊˈnjuːklɪəs /

noun

  1. the smaller of two nuclei in ciliated protozoans, involved in reproduction Compare macronucleus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of micronucleus

First recorded in 1890–95; micro- + nucleus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

If the algorithm detects a cell with a micronucleus, it sends the location to the microscope.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

When a micronucleus ruptures, the chromosome inside is left exposed.

From Science Daily Feb. 16, 2026

The micronucleus undergoes three rounds of mitosis, resulting in eight micronuclei.

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

Three of these degenerate in each cell, leaving one micronucleus that then undergoes mitosis, generating two haploid micronuclei.

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

The macronucleus is spherical, centrally placed, and with one micronucleus closely applied.

From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Calkins, Gary N. (Gary Nathan)

Chloramphenicol significantly increased DNA damage, measured by changes in blood cells such as micronuclei and other abnormalities.

From Science Daily Mar. 21, 2026

Although the researchers trained it in this study to detect micronuclei, the underlying AI could be trained to identify many other cellular features.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

It was uniquely able to enter micronuclei and fragment the DNA inside.

From Science Daily Feb. 16, 2026

Three of these degenerate in each cell, leaving one micronucleus that then undergoes mitosis, generating two haploid micronuclei.

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

The macronucleus is globular and central, occasionally band-form and with numerous attached micronuclei.

From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Calkins, Gary N. (Gary Nathan)

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