BRAINCAKEMitosis and Growth and Repair
Mitosis produces two daughter cells that are genetically identical to each other and to the parent cell, with the same number of chromosomes (46 in human body cells). This makes mitosis the type of cell division used for growth and repair in multicellular organisms, as well as for asexual reproduction.
Growth: a multicellular organism grows by increasing its number of cells. A human begins as one cell, the zygote, and an adult body contains around 3 × 1013 cells, all produced by mitosis. Because every cell has the same genetic information, cells can then differentiate into specialised types by switching particular genes on or off.
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Key terms in this lesson
- mitosis
- A type of nuclear division producing two daughter nuclei that are genetically identical to each other and to the parent nucleus.
- zygote
- The diploid cell formed by the fusion of a male and a female gamete at fertilisation.
- tumour
- A mass of cells formed by uncontrolled cell division.
More in The Cell Cycle
- Asexual Reproduction
- Sporulation
- Regeneration
- Budding
- Vegetative Propagation
- Measuring Growth
- Growth Patterns
- Growth in Plants
All 18 lessons in The Cell Cycle · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics