Cell Division

By: Grace Nichols, Coral Friend, and Amanda Trussell Mr. Taylor's 8th grade gifted class January, 2006

What is a cell?
Cells are the structural and functional units of all living organisms. Some organisms, such as bacteria, are unicellular, consisting of a single cell. Other organisms, such as humans, are multicellular, or have many cellsan estimated 100,000,000,000,000 cells! Each cell is an amazing world unto itself: it can take in nutrients, convert these nutrients into energy, carry out specialized functions, and reproduce as necessary. Even more amazing is that each cell stores its own set of instructions for carrying out each of these activities.
Cell interactive

Definitions

Spindle Fiber -One of a network of achromatic filaments that extend inward from the poles of a dividing cell, forming a spindle-shaped figure. Centromere -The most condensed and constricted region of a chromosome, to which the spindle fiber is attached during mitosis. Chromatin-A complex of nucleic acids and proteins, primarily histones, in the cell nucleus that stains readily with basic dyes and condenses to form chromosomes during cell division. Chromatid -Either of the two daughter strands of a replicated chromosome that are joined by a single centromere and separate during cell division to become individual chromosomes. Chromosome-thread-like, gene-carrying bodies in the nucleus of a cell. Chromosomes are composed primarily of DNA and protein. They are visible only under magnification during certain stages of cell division. Humans have 46 chromosomes in each somatic cell and 23 in each sex cell. Gene- units of inheritance usually occurring at specific locations, or loci, on a chromosome. Physically, a gene is a sequence of DNA bases that specify the order of amino acids in an entire protein or, in some cases, a portion of a protein. A gene may be made up of hundreds of thousands of DNA bases. Genes are responsible for the hereditary traits in plants and animals. Alleles-alternate forms or varieties of a gene

More Definitions
polar microtubules Microtubules of the mitotic spindle that overlap in the center of the cell and push the spindle poles apart. equatorial plane -The plane that contains all of the centromeres and their spindle attachments during metaphase of mitosis. Organelle-A differentiated structure within a cell, such as a mitochondrion, vacuole, or chloroplast, that performs a specific function. Gamete-A reproductive cell having the haploid number of chromosomes, especially a mature sperm or egg capable of fusing with a gamete of the opposite sex to produce the fertilized egg. kinetochore fibers -specialized regions in the centromeres of chromosomes.

Cell Cycle
The cell cycle is the event that makes new cells, by cell division, through six processes. They are; interphase,mitosis(prophase), mitosis(metaphase), mitosis(anaphase), mitosis(telophase), and cytokinesis.

Interphase
During interphase, a cell replicates its nuclear DNA, ensuring that when it does divide at the end of the mitotic phase, each of the newly created daughter cells will contain a full set of genes.

Mitosis, in general
Mitosis is the mechanism that allows the nuclei of cells to split and provide each daughter cell with a complete set of chromosomes during cellular division. This, coupled with cytokinesis (division of the cytoplasm), occurs in all multicellular plants and animals to permit growth of the organism.
Mitosis game

Mitosis:Prophase
During this first mitotic stage, the nucleolus fades and chromatin (replicated DNA and associated proteins) condenses into chromosomes. Each replicated chromosome comprises two chromatids, both with the same genetic information.

Mitosis:Metaphase
Next, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and a large protein network, called the spindle, attaches to each sister chromatid. The chromosomes are now aligned perpendicular to the spindle in a process called metaphase.

Mitosis:Anaphase
anaphase begins as the centromeres of each pair of chromatids split, effectively doubling the number of chromosomes. Once separated, sister chromatids, each now an independent chromosome with its own centromere, begin moving apart toward opposite poles of the cell. The movement is made possible via two mechanisms. The kinetochore fibers attached to each centromere begin to shorten, pulling the chromosomes toward the poles. At the same time, the polar microtubules from opposite ends of the cell form cross bridges in the equatorial plane, pushing the poles apart by becoming longer.

Mitosis:Telophase
In telophase, the daughter chromosomes arrive at the spindle poles and are eventually redistributed into chromatin. After complete separation of the chromosomes and their extrusion to the spindle poles, the nuclear membrane begins to reform around each group of chromosomes at the opposite ends of the cell. The nucleoli also reappear in what will eventually become the two new cell nuclei. When telophase is complete and the new cell membrane is being formed, the nuclei have almost matured to the pre-mitotic state. The final steps in telophase involve the initiation of plasma membrane cleavage between each of the new daughter cells to ultimately yield two separate cells during cytokinesis, the next phase of cell division.

Cytokinesis
The final stage in the process of cell division is known as cytokinesis, which usually begins during late anaphase or early telophase (before mitosis ends) as the nuclear envelope and nucleoli are reforming and the chromosomes are de-condensing. During this stage the cytoplasm is divided.
Animal cells

DNA
DNA is a double-stranded molecule twisted into a helix (think of a spiral staircase). Each spiraling strand, comprised of a sugarphosphate backbone and attached bases, is connected to a complementary strand by noncovalent hydrogen bonding between paired bases. The bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G).

DNA structure
The structure of DNA is illustrated by a right handed double helix. Alternating sugar (a.k.a. deoxyribose) and phosphate units form the two sides of the ladder-shaped arrangement with the rungs or steps each formed by a pair of nucleotide bases ,(about 10 nucleotide pairs per helical turn.) adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T) and guanine (G) always pairs with cytosine (C). Adenine and thymine are connected by two hydrogen bonds, while guanine and cytosine are connected by three.

What is the purpose of DNA? DNA carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.
DNA interactive

Sources
Developmental Biology Online Cells Alive Biology in Motion MCAT Biology Answers Palomar college The Cell: A molecular approach Bio tech Molecular Expressions Access excellence

More sources
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