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Mitosis Definition
Mitosis Definition
“Mitosis is that step in the cell cycle where the newly formed DNA is separated
and two new cells are formed with the same number and kind of chromosomes as
the parent nucleus.”
What is Mitosis?
Cell division is the driving process of reproduction at the cellular level. Most eukaryotic
cells divide in a manner where the ploidy or the number of chromosomes remains the
same, except in the case of germ cells where the number of chromosomes is halved.
Mitosis is the phase of the cell cycle where the nucleus of a cell is divided into two
nuclei with an equal amount of genetic material in both the daughter nuclei. It succeeds
the G2 phase and is succeeded by cytoplasmic division after the separation of the
nucleus.
Mitosis is essential for the growth of the cells and the replacement of worn-out cells.
Abnormalities during mitosis may alter the DNA, resulting in genetic disorders.
Features of Mitosis
1. In each cycle of cell division, two daughter cells are formed from the parent cell.
2. The cell is also known as equational cell division because the chromosome number in the
parent cell and daughter cell is the same.
3. In plants, mitosis leads to the growth of vegetative parts of the plant like root tip, stem tip,
etc.
4. Segregation and combination do not occur in this process.
The processes occurring during mitosis have been divided into different stages.
Stages of Mitosis
Right before prophase, the cell spends most of its life in the interphase, where
preparations are made before the beginning of mitosis (the DNA is copied). However,
since the actual process involves the division of the nucleus, the prophase is technically
the first stage of this process.
The different stages of mitosis occurring during cell division are given as follows-
Interphase
Before entering mitosis, a cell spends a period of its growth under interphase. It
undergoes the following phases when in interphase:
Prophase
Prophase immediately follows the S and G2 phases of the cycle and is marked by
condensation of the genetic material to form compact mitotic chromosomes composed
of two chromatids attached at the centromere.
The completion of the prophase is characterised by the initiation of the assembly of the
mitotic spindle, the microtubules and the proteinaceous components of the cytoplasm
that help in the process.
Prophase
Prometaphase
In the prometaphase, the nuclear envelop disintegrates. Now the microtubules are
allowed to extend from the centromere to the chromosome. The microtubules attach to
the kinetochores which allow the cell to move the chromosome around.
Metaphase
At this stage, the microtubules start pulling the chromosomes with equal force and the
chromosome ends up in the middle of the cell. This region is known as the metaphase
plate. Thus, each cell gets an entire functioning genome.
Metaphase
Anaphase
The splitting of the sister chromatids marks the onset of anaphase. These sister
chromatids become the chromosome of the daughter nuclei. The chromosomes are
then pulled towards the pole by the fibres attached to the kinetochores of each
chromosome. The centromere of each chromosome leads at the edge while the arms
trail behind it.
Anaphase
Telophase
The chromosomes that cluster at the two poles start coalescing into an undifferentiated
mass, as the nuclear envelope starts forming around it. The nucleolus, Golgi bodies and
ER complex, which had disappeared after prophase start to reappear.
Telophase
Functions of Mitosis
Following are the two important functions of mitosis:
Significance of Mitosis
1. Mitosis is responsible for the development of the zygote into an adult.
2. Equal distribution of chromosomes to each daughter cell.
3. It is responsible for the growth and development of an individual.
4. It maintains the constant number of chromosomes in all body cells of an organism.
5. Mitosis is required for asexual reproduction, vegetative propagation in plants and is also
responsible for the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues.
6. Mitosis helps in maintaining the purity of the genome as no recombination or crossing over
takes place.
7. It is responsible for the repair and regeneration of old and damaged cells in animals e.g. gut
epithelium, blood cells, etc.
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26,816
Define mitosis.
Mitosis is the type of cell division by which a single cell divides in such a way as to produce two
genetically identical “daughter cells”.
Q2
Q4
What is prophase?
The process of mitosis begins with the prophase. In this stage, the chromatin condenses and the
nucleolus disappears.
Q5
Why do these very different organisms and tissues all need mitosis?
Intestinal cells have to be replaced as they wear out; yeast cells need
to reproduce to keep their population growing; and a tadpole must
make new cells as it grows bigger and more complex.
What is mitosis?
Mitosis is a type of cell division in which one cell (the mother) divides
to produce two new cells (the daughters) that are genetically identical
to itself. In the context of the cell cycle, mitosis is the part of the
division process in which the DNA of the cell's nucleus is split into two
equal sets of chromosomes.
The great majority of the cell divisions that happen in your body
involve mitosis. During development and growth, mitosis populates an
organism’s body with cells, and throughout an organism’s life, it
replaces old, worn-out cells with new ones. For single-celled
eukaryotes like yeast, mitotic divisions are actually a form of
reproduction, adding new individuals to the population.
In all of these cases, the “goal” of mitosis is to make sure that each
daughter cell gets a perfect, full set of chromosomes. Cells with too
few or too many chromosomes usually don’t function well: they may
not survive, or they may even cause cancer. So, when cells undergo
mitosis, they don’t just divide their DNA at random and toss it into piles
for the two daughter cells. Instead, they split up their duplicated
chromosomes in a carefully organized series of steps.
Phases of mitosis
Mitosis consists of four basic phases: prophase, metaphase,
anaphase, and telophase. Some textbooks list five, breaking prophase
into an early phase (called prophase) and a late phase (called
prometaphase). These phases occur in strict sequential order, and
cytokinesis - the process of dividing the cell contents to make two new
cells - starts in anaphase or telophase.
You can remember the order of the phases with the famous
mnemonic: [Please] Pee on the MAT. But don’t get too hung up on
names – what’s most important to understand is what’s happening at
each stage, and why it’s important for the division of the
chromosomes.
Late G2 phase. The cell has two centrosomes, each with two
centrioles, and the DNA has been copied. At this stage, the DNA is
surrounded by an intact nuclear membrane, and the nucleolus is
present in the nucleus.
Let’s start by looking at a cell right before it begins mitosis. This cell is
in interphase (late G22start subscript, 2, end subscript phase) and has
already copied its DNA, so the chromosomes in the nucleus each
consist of two connected copies, called sister chromatids. You can’t
see the chromosomes very clearly at this point, because they are still
in their long, stringy, decondensed form.
This animal cell has also made a copy of its centrosome, an organelle
that will play a key role in orchestrating mitosis, so there are two
centrosomes. (Plant cells generally don’t have centrosomes with
centrioles, but have a different type of microtubule organizing
center that plays a similar role.)
Early prophase. The mitotic spindle starts to form, the chromosomes
start to condense, and the nucleolus disappears.
In early prophase, the cell starts to break down some structures and
build others up, setting the stage for division of the chromosomes.
The mitotic spindle grows more, and some of the microtubules start to
“capture” chromosomes.
Anatomy of the mitotic spindle. Diagram indicating kinetochore
microtubules (bound to kinetochores) and the aster. The aster is an
array of microtubules that radiates out from the centrosome towards
the cell edge. Diagram also indicates the centromere region of a
chromosome, the narrow "waist" where the two sister chromatids are
most tightly connected, and the kinetochore, a pad of proteins found at
the centromere.
In metaphase, the spindle has captured all the chromosomes and lined
them up at the middle of the cell, ready to divide.
Before proceeding to anaphase, the cell will check to make sure that
all the chromosomes are at the metaphase plate with their
kinetochores correctly attached to microtubules. This is called
the spindle checkpoint and helps ensure that the sister chromatids will
split evenly between the two daughter cells when they separate in the
next step. If a chromosome is not properly aligned or attached, the cell
will halt division until the problem is fixed.
Anaphase. The sister chromatids separate from one another and are
pulled towards opposite poles of the cell. The microtubules that are not
attached to chromosomes push the two poles of the spindle apart,
while the kinetochore microtubules pull the chromosomes towards the
poles.
In anaphase, the sister chromatids separate from each other and are
pulled towards opposite ends of the cell.
The protein “glue” that holds the sister chromatids together is broken
down, allowing them to separate. Each is now its own chromosome.
The chromosomes of each pair are pulled towards opposite ends of
the cell.
Microtubules not attached to chromosomes elongate and push apart,
separating the poles and making the cell longer.
Two new nuclei form, one for each set of chromosomes. Nuclear
membranes and nucleoli reappear.
Cytokinesis in a plant cell: the cell plate forms down the middle of the
cell, creating a new wall that partitions it in two.
Cytokinesis, the division of the cytoplasm to form two new cells,
overlaps with the final stages of mitosis. It may start in either
anaphase or telophase, depending on the cell, and finishes shortly
after telophase.
When cytokinesis finishes, we end up with two new cells, each with a
complete set of chromosomes identical to those of the mother cell.
The daughter cells can now begin their own cellular “lives,” and –
depending on what they decide to be when they grow up – may
undergo mitosis themselves, repeating the cycle.