Skeletal muscle cells and motor nerve cells work together to produce movement in the body. A typical skeletal muscle cell is between 1 and 40 millimeters in length and contains long chains of contractile proteins. A nerve cell can be up to 1 meter long and contains a cell body connected to a long projection, called an axon, that sends electrical signals. The images below show a single muscle cell and a single nerve cell.
How do the functions of the cells relate to their number of nuclei?
A.
The nerve cell needs to divide more frequently than the muscle cell, so it has several nuclei while the muscle cell only has one.
B.
The muscle cell needs to grow to a longer length than the nerve cell, so it has several nuclei while the nerve cell only has one.
C.
The muscle cell has more nuclei than the nerve cell, which helps the muscle cell synthesize the many proteins it needs to contract.
D.
The nerve cell has more nuclei than the muscle cell, which helps the nerve cell produce the large amount of energy it needs to send signals.