Name: The Cell Cycle and Its Regulation
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 12 min 39 s
Description: Cyclins regulate the cell cycle only when they are tightly bound to Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Learn more about the cell cycle and its regulation in this video.

Question

Give an account of different phases a somatic cell undergoes during the division process.

Accepted Answer

Cell division is defined as the splitting of a parent cell into daughter cells. Based on the complexity of the process and type of cell involved, the cell division may be of different types. Somatic cells are the normal body cells of an organism. Mitotic division or mitosis is the type of division that takes place in these cells. The mitotic division is divided into two subdivisions: Karyokinesis and cytokinesis.

Karyokinesis is the first phase of every type of cell division. It occurs in 4 different stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.

Prophase: It is the first stage of mitosis in which condensation of chromatin fibres occurs and form well-defined chromosomes. Nuclear membrane and nucleolus are disappeared. The spindle fibres start to develop.

Metaphase: Chromosomes are aligned at the equational plane in the metaphase stage of mitosis. In this phase, chromosomes are lies in the cytoplasm, spindle fibre formation is completed and centromeres of the chromosomes are attached with these fibres.

Anaphase: In these, the centromere divides and two chromatids of each chromosome are separated in the anaphase stage of mitosis. The separated chromatids are move to opposite poles.

Telophase: In this phase, the chromosomes reach the poles and decondensation takes place to form chromatin reticulum. The spindle fibres disappear and nuclear membrane reappears. The nucleolus also reappears to form two daughter nuclei.

Cytokinesis: The process of division of cytoplasm occurs after karyokinesis is known as cytoplasmic division or cytokinesis. In plant cells, cytokinesis occurs by the formation of a cell plate. In animal cell, it takes place by the formation of furrow or depression.

Give an account of different phases a somatic cell undergoes during the division process.

Important Questions on Cell Division Cycle

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