acellular

Thân thiện

Acellular organisms like viruses lack a cellular structure.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not made up of or divided into cells: Describes a biological structure, organism, or substance that lacks a cellular structure. It is not composed of distinct, membrane-bound units (cells).

Usage

• The term "acellular" is primarily used in scientific contexts, especially in biology, microbiology, and medicine.
• It describes entities that are not organized into cells, in contrast to "cellular" or "multicellular" life forms.
• It can refer to organisms, biological products, or anatomical structures.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • Viruses are considered acellular entities because they lack the machinery for independent metabolism and reproduction.
  • The vaccine is an acellular preparation, containing only purified antigens and not whole killed bacteria.
  • Blood plasma is the acellular, liquid component of blood.

Advanced Usage

• "Acellular organism": An organism that does not have a cellular structure, such as a virus or a prion.
  • The debate continues on whether viruses should be classified as acellular organisms or as non-living infectious agents.
• "Acellular matrix": In biology and medicine, this refers to the non-cellular component of tissues (like the extracellular matrix) or a scaffold used in tissue engineering that has had its cells removed.
  • The surgeon used an acellular dermal matrix to support the regeneration of the patient's skin.

Variants and Related Words

• Cellular (adj): The direct opposite, meaning consisting of or containing cells.
  • All plants and animals are cellular organisms.
• Extracellular (adj): Located or occurring outside a cell or cells.
  • The extracellular fluid bathes the cells in the body.
• Unicellular (adj): Consisting of a single cell.
  • Bacteria are examples of unicellular life.

Synonyms

• Non-cellular: Having no cells. (This is a more general synonym.)
• Cell-free: Not containing cells; often used in laboratory contexts (e.g., cell-free extract).

Antonyms

• Cellular
• Multicellular

Học thuật

Adjective

1. not made up of or divided into cells

Từ đồng nghĩa

• noncellular