| Home |
| Purpose |
| Animal
Cell |
| Plant
Cell |
| Mitosis |
| Research |
| Fun |
| About Us |
| Glossary |
| Bibliography |
The interphase is when the cell prepares itself to divide. In the centrioles, DNA is copied and placed into pairs. Also, in the nucleus chromosomes are replicated. Now the cell is prepared to divide.
In the prophase, the division starts. The chromosomes join together with centromeres. After the chromosomes are copied, the nuclear membrane starts to break. Then, the centrioles move to opposite ends of the cell and as they move apart, they start to pull spindle fibers apart.
After the prophase is the metaphase. In the metaphase the chromosomes move to the center of the cell. The sister chromatids attach to the spindle fibers. The cell is ready to split.
During the anaphase, spindle fibers pull the chromosomes apart. The two sets of sister chromatids go to opposite ends of the cell by the centromeres.
When the chromosomes and the chromatids reach opposite ends of the cell, the spindle fibers disappear. Two new nuclear membranes form and wrap up the chromosomes. The chromosomes turn back into chromatins. This is the telophase.
The last step of mitosis is cytokinesis. Now, the cell looks like two microscopic baseballs stuck together.
In cytokinesis the two halves of the cell separate. When the two halves of the cell separate, on each half a new cell membrane is formed.
Now, two daughter cells are formed.
For a plant cell, mitosis is the same accept a cell plate forms in-between the two halves of the cell and makes it separate. Then the two daughter cells form a cell wall.
Click here to learn about cancer.
