Giant Cells

**Definition:** Multinucleated masses produced by the fusion of many cells; often associated with viral infections. In AIDS, they are induced when the envelope glycoprotein of the HIV virus binds to the CD4 antigen of uninfected neighboring T4 cells. The resulting syncytium leads to cell death and thus may account for the cytopathic effect of the virus.

**Tree numbers:** - A11.500

**Synonyms:** - Syncytium - Giant Cells, Multinucleated - Multinucleated Giant Cells - Polykaryocytes - Syncytia