Chromosomes and Mitosis Flashcards
what are chromosomes?
chromosomes are coiled up lengths of DNA molecules.
what do chromosomes carry?
each chromosome carries a large number of genes.
what do genes do?
different genes control the development of different characteristics e.g hair color.
how many copies of each chromosome do body cells contain?
body cells normally have two copies of each chromosome - one from the organism’s ‘mother’ and one from its ‘father’.
what is the stage of the cell cycle when the cell divides called?
mitosis
what do multicellular organisms use mitosis for?
to grow or replace cells that have been damaged.
what does the end of the cell cycle result in?
two new cells identical to the original cell with the same number of chromosomes.
what does the nucleus contain?
the nucleus contains your genetic material in the form of chromosomes.
before it divides what does a cell have to do?
the cell has to grow and increase the amount of sub cellular structures such as mitochondria and chromosomes.
what happens when a cell duplicates its DNA.
the DNA is copied and forms X-shaped chromosomes. each arm of the chromosome is an exact duplicate of the other.
what happens to the X- shaped chromosomes during mitosis and how are they pulled apart?
the chromosomes line up at the center of the cell and cell fibers pull them apart. the two arms of each chromosome go to opposite end of the cell.
what forms around each of the sets of chromosomes?
membranes form around each of the sets of chromosomes. These become the nuclei of the two new cells- the nucleus has divided. The cytoplasm and cell membrane divide.
what are the two new cells called?
daughter cells.
are the daughter cell identical?
Yes. Their DNA is also identical to the parent cell.
