A star-shaped structure formed in a cell during cell division, particularly during meiosis; a structure similar to an aster but related to cellular processes.
From Greek 'kytos' (cell) + 'aster' (star). The term 'aster' comes from Latin for star, used in cell biology for radial structures.
The aster is literally a 'star' that appears during cell division—spindle fibers radiate out from it like rays, helping to pull chromosomes apart, and the cytaster is a related cellular star structure.
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