BRAINCAKEMitosis
Mitosis is the division of the nucleus that produces two daughter nuclei, each genetically identical to the parent nucleus and to each other, with the same number of chromosomes. In a diploid cell, both daughter cells are diploid.
Mitosis follows interphase, when the DNA has already been replicated so that each chromosome has two sister chromatids. During mitosis the sister chromatids are separated, and one chromatid of every chromosome goes to each new nucleus.
Mitosis is a continuous process, but it is described in four stages:
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Key terms in this lesson
- prophase
- The first stage of mitosis, in which chromosomes condense, the spindle forms and the nuclear envelope breaks down.
- anaphase
- The third stage of mitosis, in which centromeres divide and sister chromatids are pulled to opposite poles by the spindle fibres.
- diploid
- Having two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent, in a cell, for example human body cells.
- meristem
- A region of undifferentiated, actively dividing plant cells, such as at root and shoot tips, responsible for growth.
More in The Cell Cycle
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