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Medical Definition of Nematocyte
1. Stinging cells found in Hydra, used for capturing prey and for defence. There are four major types, containing different sorts of nematocysts: stenoteles (60%), desmonemes, holotrichous isorhizas and atrichous isorhizas. They differentiate from interstitial cells and are almost all found in the tentacles. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)