9 - Cell cycle + mitosis Flashcards
Why do cells need to divide ?
- New organisms
- Growth
- Cell replacement
- New organisms
Unicellular organisms e.g. bacteria
- Growth
Multicellular organisms grow by adding more cells
Cell replacement
Wear and tear (skin exfoliation / gut)
Programmed cell death
What are the basic requirements for a cell to divide effectively?
- The DNA of the parent cell must be duplicated
- The chromosomes containing the replicated DNA must then be physically segregated into the two daughter cells
- The daughter cells must physically divide from each other.
Purpose of cell division
to produce 2 genetically identical daughter cells from the original parent cell.
Binary Fission
Relatively simple process by which bacteria duplicate their DNA and segregate their chromosome into 2 daughter cells
Much less complicated than the mechanisms employed by eukaryotic cells
Binary fission stages
- Chromosome replications begins: 1 copy of the origin moves rapidly towards other end of cell
- Replication continues: 1 copy of the origin is at each end of cell
- Replication finishes: plasma membrane grows inward and new cell wall is deposited
- 2 daughter cells result
Eukaryotic cell division
More complicated than prokaryotes:
Nuclear membrane
Multiple chromosomes
Organelles
The cell cycle
G1 ‘gap’: Cell grows, prepares to replicate DNA
S ‘synthesis’: Cell grows, synthesis of duplicate DNA ready for mitosis
G2 ‘gap’ : cell grows, prepares for mitosis
M ‘mitotic phase’: chromosomal segregation (mitosis) and cell separation (cytokinesis)
Mitosis
‘The physical process of segregating chromosomes into daughter cells’
- 23 pairs of chromosomes
• Body cells are diploid (one copy of each chromosome from each parent)
Mitosis – segregating chromosomes
At the start of mitosis the chromosome consists of two sister chromatids linked at the centromere.
By the end the pair has been segregated into the new daughter cells
Interphase
Cell grows, replicates its DNA and gets ready for mitosis
G2 of interphase
- Intact nuclear envelope
- Chromosomes replicated – remain indistinct as loosely packed chromatin (DNA+protein) fibres
- Centrosome replicated (MTOCs)
- Microtubules extend radially forming asters
Prophase
- Chromatin fibres condense – forming discrete chromosomes
- Nucleoli disappear
- Centrosomes move away from each other
- Mitotic spindle begins to form