Mitosis: The Process of Cell Division

By Alyssa Ritter

Cell Division
All living things are made up of cells, the building block of organisms, and to support an organism, cells must grow and divide. Cell division, also called mitosis, helps to replenish cells that have died or gone through apoptosis and helps keep up with an organisms growth. This document will describe the stages of mitosis and its key components, and aims to provide a general understanding of mitosis for those studying cell or molecular biology.

How do Cells Grow?

To begin, cells grow in a pattern known as the cell cycle. This cycle includes periods of growth, known as G1 and G2 phases, periods of replicating the DNA, S phase, and periods of division, called mitosis or M phase. As seen in Figure 1, the majority of the time a cell is not undergoing mitosis, but instead both growing and replicating its DNA1. However, mitosis is a critical part of the cell cycle as it allows for cells to create genetically Time Spent in Each identical daughter cells and support the growth of Figure 1: The Amount of Phase of the Cell Cycle.1 the cell and organism. Within mitosis there are also several stages, which will be described individually below.

The Function of Mitosis

Each round of mitosis produces twice as many cells as were in the parental population of cells; one parental cell going through mitosis yields two genetically identical daughter cells. Therefore, cell growth exhibits exponential growth and mitosis is a powerful way for organisms to grow quickly. This is the purpose and goal of mitosis: to replicate and make new cells. Mitosis occurs when the cell runs low on the resources needed to keep the ever growing cell running; by dividing into two cells, both cells can now perform their functions and keep up with running the cell.

The Stages of Mitosis

In order for cells to divide and every cell to have the same amount of genetic material, extra copies of DNA must be created prior to cell division. These extra copies of the cells genetic material are synthesized in the S phase of the cell cycle and this extra DNA is then

manipulated in the stages of mitosis so that it is evenly distributed in both daughter cells. Chromosomes are the units of DNA that are inherited from one generation to another and these condensed, tightly packed forms of DNA are extremely important throughout mitosis. Figure 2 below shows the stages of mitosis and interphase (not a stage of mitosis, but the cell in G1or G2 phase)2. Chromosome formation is the first stage of mitosis, as seen in Figure 22. Next, the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell and separate so each side of the cell has all of the chromosomes required2. In the final stages of mitosis, the cell membrane pinches off into two cells and the chromosomes become less ordered and are no longer visible. Mitosis progresses through these events in four stages, followed by a final process called cytokinesis which separates the two cells; details of these stages will be elaborated below.

Figure 2: An Overview of Mitosis2

Prophase Once the cell has grown and replicated its DNA, the cell begins the process of mitosis with the stage of prophase. In prophase, the two copies of the genome condense from free flowing DNA molecules to tightly packed and ordered chromosomes. Since chromosomes are passed from one generation to another, they are condensed in prophase so that they can more efficiently be passed on to daughter cells. Chromosomes consist of chromatids (identical copies of the chromosome) joined at a location called the centromere.

The second part of prophase is the breakdown of the nuclear envelope (the membrane forming the nucleus) where DNA is found and the formation of the spindle. The spindle is a group of microtubules that attach to the kinetochore (located within the centromere). During prophase, the spindle attaches to the kinetochore of each chromosome in preparation to separate the sister chromatids. Metaphase During metaphase, the chromosomes are lined up in the center of the cell by the spindle, forming the metaphase plate. By lining up in the center of the cell, there is equal pressure on both spindles and this signal allows the cell to move on to anaphase and separate the sister chromatids. This phase of mitosis is short and proceeds right into anaphase when the chromosomes are all lined up correctly. Anaphase Anaphase is the stage of mitosis in which the sister chromatids begin to separate from each other due to the spindle pulling them to opposite sides of the cell. As the sister chromatids separate, the cell also begins to pinch in the middle, forming the cleavage furrow; this furrow is where the cell will eventually divide into two cells. At this stage of mitosis the cell still contains all of the replicated chromosomes, but they are all now separated from each other into chromatids at opposite sides of the cell. Telophase Telophase is the final stage of mitosis. During telophase, the spindle releases the chromatids and the nuclear envelope begins to form again. The cleavage furrow becomes narrower and the cell prepares to divide into identical daughter cells. Cytokinesis Cytokinesis comes after telophase and completes the division of the cell, although this is not considered a part of mitosis. However, this process begins at the same time as telophase and it is important for the overall process of cell division3. During cytokinesis, the cells are separated into two by the protein actin constricting around the cleavage furrow3. Once cytokinesis is complete, the result is two separate and identical daughter cells.

Conclusion
All cells grow in a similar pattern, called the cell cycle, and the most important aspect of the cell cycle is mitosis, in which cells divide to form two new and identical cells. During the cells life cycle, its genome is replicated so that each resulting cell has the same amount of

genetic material as the parental cell. The DNA condenses, forming chromosomes, which are then organized and divided to opposite sides of the cell after the nucleus disintegrates. Finally, the DNA loosens out of the chromosome structure, the nucleus regenerates around the DNA, and the cell membranes are divided forming two identical cells. This process is crucial for both growing and maintaining organisms and understanding mitosis provides a solid foundation for understanding genetics, organisms, and their growth.

References

1. Muller, M. (2004). Cell Division, mitosis, and meiosis. Retrieved from http://www.uic.edu/classes/bios/bios100/lecturesf04am/lect16.htm 2. Daniel. (2011). 3.24 Mitosis. Retrieved from http://danielscienceblogg.blogspot.com/2011/08/324-mitosis.html 3. University of Arizona, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. (2004). The cell cycle and mitosis tutorial. Retrieved from http://www.biology.arizona.edu/ cell_bio/tutorials/cell_cycle/cells3.html