UNIT 3 - D 2.1 - Cell And Nuclear Division Flashcards
Why do cells make copies of themselves?
To maintain the population of a single-celled organism and to keep a multicellular organism growing and repairing itself
What is cell division?
The process of producing two cells from one cell
What is the role of cell division?
To make sure genetic information is passed on to the next generation of cells, along with copies of all the organelles necessary to make the cell function.
What is the parent/mother cell?
The cell that produces a copy
What are daughter cells?
The 2 new cells that are generated from parent cells
How do prokaryotic cells divide?
By binary fission.
What is the process of binary fission?
The DNA’s copied, the 2 daughter chromosomes become attached to different regions on the plasma membrane and the cell divides into 2 genetically identical daughter cells.
How are daughter cells produced for organisms that have multiple chromosomes?
Using mitosis.
What does meiosis involve with egg and sperm cells?
2 divisions that produce 4 daughter cells.
What is cytokinesis?
The process of the cell splitting in 2 after reaching a certain size.
What happens during cytokinesis in animal cells?
The plasma membrane pinches inwards to form cleavage furrows.
What is a cleavage furrow?
A groove along the cell membrane
What do plants form instead of cleavage furrows during cytokinesis?
A cell plate
Why do plants form a cell plate during cytokinesis?
Because of their rigid cell wall
How are cell plates formed?
They are built up by vesicles that collect midway between the 2 poles of the cell and lay down cell membrane and cell wall cells, which then expand outwards towards the sides of the cell from a central region.
What do both types of cytokinesis result in?
2 separate daughter cells that have genetically identical nuclei.
In most instances of cell division, how do the 2 daughter cells compare to one another?
They are identical.
What is oogenesis?
The production of eggs.
What does oogenesis produce?
4 haploid cells.
What do 3 of the 4 haploid cells produced from oogenesis end up doing?
Donating their cytoplasm and organelles to the fourth cell and are not used as eggs.
Why are three of the four haploid cells produced from oogenesis not used as eggs?
Because they are too small to produce a viable zygote
What is oogenesis an example of
Unequal cytokinesis
What does unequal cytokinesis for egg cells provide the zygote with?
The resources it needs to survive until it is implanted in the wall of the uterus.
What kind of cells may cytokinesis also be unequal in?
Yeast cells
How do yeast cells divide?
A process called budding.
What does budding involve?
Generating a small cell from the parent cell
What happens when a daughter yeast cell becomes big enough to survive on its own?
Cytokinesis closes the cell membranes, and each cell is an independent organism.
What does mitosis result in?
2 daughter cells with identical nuclei.
What does it mean to be a anucleate?
To not have the instructions for carrying out its functions or how to divide
What does the process of mitosis make sure of?
That a full copy of the nucleus is made before cytokinesis.
What does the process of having a full copy of the nucleus allow the daughter cells to have
The same number of chromosomes as the parent cell and the same genome
How much genetic information do gamete daughter cells have?
Half the genetic information of the parent
How do organisms receive a total of 46 chromosomes?
They received 23 from their mother and 23 from their father.
Why do chromosomes come in pairs?
Because one of each pair is from each parent.
What does meiosis ensure?
That egg and sperm cells get only half the genetic information
What does meiosis result in?
4 daughter cells that each have a nucleus containing half the parents cells DNA
How does meiosis help generate the genetic variety we observe in offspring?
Each of the 4 daughter cells receives a different combination of genetic information, chromosomes are in random combinations
What is DNA replication?
The process of making a complete copy of the cell’s DNA
What phase of the cell’s life does DNA replication occur?
The S phase or synthesis phase
How is replicated DNA arranged in a chromosome?
as 2 sister chromatids
Where are 2 sister chromatids attached?
At the centromere
What does DNA look like in most of the cell’s life?
Spread out in long unwound chains.
Why is condensation of the DNA necessary before replication.
So that no DNA is misplaced and to prevent the strands from tangling up and braking
What does the process of DNA condensation involve?
The DNA being wrapped around histones.
How are compact pairs of chromatids formed?
The histones help organize the DNA which is coiled, and then supercoiled so that the coils are stacked on top of each other.
When is DNA referred to as chromatin?
When DNA is associated with histone proteins
What ensures that different DNA molecules can be transported in one package rather than being spread out all throughout the nucleus?
The chromosome’s condensed structure after supercoiling is complete.
What does the centrosome organelle do?
Makes the microtubule spindle fibers that are needed to guide the chromosomes to the right place before the cell divides.
Why do microtubules have a directionality?
Because one end has a negative charge and the other has a positive charge.
What do motor proteins do?
Push or pull objects around a cell
How do motor proteins push or pull objects around a cell?
They use the microtubules as tracks, or they can attach to 2 microtubules and get one to slide past the other.
What do motor proteins use to produce a conformational change that moves the microtubules?
ATP
What is a confirmational change?
A change in shape
What are the 3 types of microtubules?
Astral microtubules, kinetochore microtubules and overlap microtubules
What do astral microtubules do?
Reach out from the centrosome.
What do the kinetochore microtubules do?
They attach to the centromere of the chromosome where the 2 sister chromatids are attached.
What do overlap microtubules do instead of attaching to the chromosomes?
They pass beside them.
Where are motor proteins sandwiched in between?
Between the overlap microtubules
How are overlap microtubules pushed in opposite directions?
The motor proteins in between them walk along them in such a way that this happens.
When do motor proteins between the overlapping microtubules become active?
When the cell is ready to separate its chromosomes
What does the action of 2 microtubules sliding past each other do?
It pushes the 2 Poles of the centrosome away from each other.
What happens due to the fact that the 2 sister chromatids are attached to the poles via opposite facing microtubules?
They are pulled away from each other.
Why are each sister chromatid, transported to 1/2 of the cell?
So that when the cell splits in 2, each newly formed cell has a copy of each chromosome.
What happens to the microtubules after the chromatids have been separated?
They are dismantled, and the pieces of track are recycled.
What phase is the cell in when it is not going through cell division?
Interphase
What is the cell doing during interphase?
It is performing its function in the organism and growing and preparing to divide