Meiosis And Mitosis Flashcards
Interphase (mitosis)
- nuclear envelope + nucleolus still present
- chromatin/dna replicated (s phase)
- centrioles doubled (2 of them) (G phase)
Prophase (mitosis)
- nuclear envelope/nucleolus breaks down to give more space in the cell for genetic material to move around.
- chromatin/dna has condensed down into chromosomes (replicated chromosomes)
- centrioles have moved to pole of cell to start to make spindle fibres
Metaphase (mitosis)
- nuclear envelope/nucleolus still gone
- replicated chromosomes in equator of cell.
- Centrioles have fully formed spindle fibres attached, they attach to centromeres of replicated chromosomes.
Anaphase (mitosis)
- nuclear envelope/nucleolus still gone
- replicated chromosomes pulled apart into sister chromatids. Chromosomes form.
- spindle fibres contract and start to break down at the end of the anaphase.
Telophase (mitosis)
- nuclear envelope + nucleolus reform. 2 nuclei in 1 cell
- chromosomes decondense to chromatin
- spindle fibres fully break down.
Cytokinesis
division of the cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells
What is meiosis?
A type of cell division that produces gametes
Ways that meiosis ensures genetic variation? (Not how yet)
- through the production of non-identical gametes
- as a consequence of independent assortment of chromosomes and crossing over of alleles between chromatids
Explain how meiosis gives rise to genetic variation in gametes?
Independent assortment gives rise to different/new combinations of chromosomes
Crossing over means sections of chromosomes are swapped over
What is crossing over and how does it create genetic variation?
- When sections of DNA are exchanged between non sister chromatids (chiasmata)
- This gives rise to a large amount of genetic variation
What is the locus of a gene?
The position of a gene on a chromosome
What is autosomal linkage?
When genes that are on the same autosome are not assorted independently (as they have a similar locus) so they become linked and stay together during original parental combination - meaning they are passed on to offspring all together.
What is the autosome?
All chromosomes except from the sex chromosomes
Why is colour blindness more common in males than females?
Colour blindness is caused by a recessive allele on the X chromosome
Males only need 1 recessive allele to be colour blind whereas females need 2
Why does males only having one X chromosome make it more likely they will inherit sex linked conditions?
Because it means they are hemizygous for any genes present on the X chromosome and therefore it will be expressed even if it is a recessive allele
What is sex linkage?
When genes are linked due to the locus of the allele that the gene codes for being found on a sex chromosome
What is a stem cell?
An undifferentiated cell that can give rise to specialised cells and divide to produce more stem cells
What is potency?
The ability to differentiate into more specialised cell types
What are totipotent stem cells?
Stem cells that can differentiate into any cell type
What are pluripotent stem cells?
Embryonic stem cells that can differentiate into any cell type found in an embryo, but not the cells forming placenta and umbilical cord
What are multipotent stem cells?
Adult stem cells which have lost some of the potency associated with the embryonic stem cells, no longer pluripotent
What are the differences between totipotent and pluripotent stem cells?
- totipotent can differentiate into any cell type
- pluripotent can only give rise to most (not all - cells in the body or totipotent cells)
- totipotent can give rise to an entire human, pluripotent cannot
What are the uses of embryonic stem cells, and where are they taken from?
Huge potential in development of therapeutic treatments of diseases
Taken from embryos, and can therefore be pluri or totipotent