What kind of cells divide mitotically

During metaphase, the microtubules pull the sister chromatids back and forth until they align in a plane, called the equatorial plane, along the center of the cell.

During anaphase, the sister chromatids are separated simultaneously at their centromeres. The separated chromosomes are then pulled by the spindle to opposite poles of the cell. Anaphase ensures that each daughter cell receives an identical set of chromosomes. Finally, during telophase, a nuclear membrane forms around each set of chromosomes to separate the nuclear DNA from the cytoplasm. The chromosomes begin to uncoil, which makes them diffuse and less compact. Hirano, T.

At the heart of the chromosome: SMC proteins in action. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 7 , — doi Mitchison, T. Mitosis: A history of division. Nature Cell Biology 3 , E17—E21 doi Paweletz, N. Walther Flemming: Pioneer of mitosis research. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 2 , 72—75 doi Satzinger, H.

Theodor and Marcella Boveri: Chromosomes and cytoplasm in heredity and development. Nature Reviews Genetics 9 , — doi Chromosome Mapping: Idiograms. Human Chromosome Translocations and Cancer. Karyotyping for Chromosomal Abnormalities. Prenatal Screen Detects Fetal Abnormalities. Synteny: Inferring Ancestral Genomes. Telomeres of Human Chromosomes. Chromosomal Abnormalities: Aneuploidies. Chromosome Abnormalities and Cancer Cytogenetics. Copy Number Variation and Human Disease.

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Meiosis, Genetic Recombination, and Sexual Reproduction. Mitosis and Cell Division. Genetic Mechanisms of Sex Determination. Sex Chromosomes and Sex Determination. Sex Chromosomes in Mammals: X Inactivation. Sex Determination in Honeybees. Citation: O'Connor, C. Nature Education 1 1 The five phases of mitosis and cell division tightly coordinate the movements of hundreds of proteins. How did early biologists unravel this complex dance of chromosomes?

Aa Aa Aa. Mitosis Occupies a Portion of the Cell Cycle. Figure 2. Figure 1. Figure Detail. Figure 3. When a cell divides during mitosis, some organelles are divided between the two daughter cells. For example, mitochondria are capable of growing and dividing during the interphase, so the daughter cells each have enough mitochondria. The Golgi apparatus, however, breaks down before mitosis and reassembles in each of the new daughter cells. Many of the specifics about what happens to organelles before, during and after cell division are currently being researched.

You can read more about cell parts and organelles by clicking here. Meiosis is the other main way cells divide. Meiosis is cell division that creates sex cells, like female egg cells or male sperm cells. What is important to remember about meiosis? In meiosis, each new cell contains a unique set of genetic information. After meiosis, the sperm and egg cells can join to create a new organism.

Meiosis is why we have genetic diversity in all sexually reproducing organisms. During meiosis, a small portion of each chromosome breaks off and reattaches to another chromosome.

This process is called "crossing over" or "genetic recombination. The end result of meiosis is four haploid daughter cells that each contain different genetic information from each other and the parent cell. Click for more detail. Meiosis I halves the number of chromosomes and is also when crossing over happens.

Meiosis II halves the amount of genetic information in each chromosome of each cell. The end result is four daughter cells called haploid cells.

Haploid cells only have one set of chromosomes - half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell. Before meiosis I starts, the cell goes through interphase. Just like in mitosis, the parent cell uses this time to prepare for cell division by gathering nutrients and energy and making a copy of its DNA. During the next stages of meiosis, this DNA will be switched around during genetic recombination and then divided between four haploid cells.

An estimation of the number of cells in the human body. Original animal cell and E. Coli cell video from National Institute of Genetics via Wikimedia. Shyamala Iyer. Cell Division. Bacterial Cell. Fungal Cell. Plant Cell. By volunteering, or simply sending us feedback on the site. Because this process is so critical, the steps of mitosis are carefully controlled by certain genes. When mitosis is not regulated correctly, health problems such as cancer can result.

The other type of cell division, meiosis, ensures that humans have the same number of chromosomes in each generation. It is a two-step process that reduces the chromosome number by half—from 46 to 23—to form sperm and egg cells.

When the sperm and egg cells unite at conception, each contributes 23 chromosomes so the resulting embryo will have the usual Meiosis also allows genetic variation through a process of gene shuffling while the cells are dividing.