Mitosis Cell Division

Mitosis is how somaticor non-reproductive cellsdivide. Somatic cells make up most

of your body's tissues and organs, including skin, muscles, lungs, gut, and hair cells.
Reproductive cells (like eggs) are not somatic cells.
In mitosis, the important thing to remember is that the daughter cells each have the
same chromosomes and DNA as the parent cell. The daughter cells from mitosis are
called diploid cells. Diploid cells have two complete sets of chromosomes. Si nce the
daughter cells have exact copies of their parent cell's DNA, no genetic diversity is
created through mitosis in normal healthy cells.
Mitosis cell division creates two genetically identical daughter diploid cells. The major
steps of mitosis are shown here. (Image by Mysid from Science Primer and National
Center for Biotechnology Information)
Mitosis Cell Cycle
Before a cell starts dividing, it is in the "Interphase." It seems that cells must be
constantly dividing (remember there are 2 trillion cell divisions in your body every day),
but each cell actually spends most of its time in the interphase. Interphase is the period
when a cell is getting ready to divide and start the cell cycle. During this time, cells are
gathering nutrients and energy. The parent cell is also making a copy of its DNA to
share equally between the two daughter cells.
The mitosis division process has several steps or phases of the cell cycleinterphase,
prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesisto
successfully make the new diploid cells.
Mitosis cell cycle
The mitosis cell cycle includes several phases that result in two new diploid daughter
cells. Each phase is highlighted here and shown by light microscopy with fluorescence.
Click on the image to learn more about each phase. (Image from OpenStax College
with modified work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal, Roy van Heesheen, and the Wadsworth
Center.)
When a cell divides during mitosis, some organelles are divided between the two
daughter cells. For example, mitochondria are capable of growing and dividing during
the interphase, so the daughter cells each have enough mitochondria. The Golgi
apparatus, however, breaks down before mitosis and reassembles in each of the new
daughter cells. Many of the specifics about what happens to organelles before, during
and after cell division are currently being researched.

Meiosis Cell Division

Meiosis is the other main way cells divide. Meiosis is cell division that creates sex cells,
like female egg cells or male sperm cells. What is important to remember about
meiosis? In meiosis, each new cell contains a unique set of genetic information. After
meiosis, the sperm and egg cells can join to create a new organism.
Meiosis is why we have genetic diversity in all sexually reproducing organisms. During
meiosis, a small portion of each chromosome breaks off and reattaches to another
chromosome. This process is called "crossing over" or "genetic recombination." Genetic

recombination is the reason full siblings made from egg and sperm cells from the same
two parents can look very different from one another.
The Meiosis Cell Cycle
Meiosis has two cycles of cell division, conveniently called Meiosis I and Meiosis II.
Meiosis I halves the number of chromosomes and is also when crossing over happens.
Meiosis II halves the amount of genetic information in each chromosome of each cell.
The end result is four daughter cells called haploid cells. Haploid cells only have one set
of chromosomes - half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
Before meiosis I starts, the cell goes through interphase. Just like in mitosis, the parent
cell uses this time to prepare for cell division by gathering nutrients and energy and
making a copy of its DNA. During the next stages of meiosis, this DNA will be switched
around during genetic recombination and then divided between four haploid cells.
So remember, Mitosis is what helps us grow and Meiosis is why we are all unique!
SOURCE: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/cell-division
Mitosis
Mitosis is used to produce daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent
cells. The cell copies - or 'replicates' - its chromosomes, and then splits the copied
chromosomes equally to make sure that each daughter cell has a full set.
Meiosis
Meiosis is used to make special cells - sperm cells and egg cells - that have half the
normal number of chromosomes. It reduces the number from 23 pairs of chromosomes
to 23 single chromosomes. The cell copies its chromosomes, but then separates the 23
pairs to ensure that each daughter cell has only one copy of each chromosome. A
second division that divides each daughter cell again to produce four daughter cells.

Mitosis and meiosis

Mitosis
Your body contains trillions of cells (thousands of millions). But you started life as a
single cell - a fertilised egg cell. This cell then divided and divided to make more cells
through a process called mitosis.
Mitosis is a way of making more cells that are genetically the same as the parent cell. It
plays an important part in the development of embryos, and it is important for the growth
and development of our bodies as well. Mitosis produces new cells, and replaces cells
that are old, lost or damaged.
In mitosis a cell divides to form two identical daughter cells. It is important that the
daughter cells have a copy of every chromosome, so the process involves copying the
chromosomes first and then carefully separating the copies to give each new cell a full
set.
Before mitosis, the chromosomes are copied. They then coil up, and each chromosome
looks like a letter X in the nucleus of the cell. The chromosomes now consist of two
sister chromatids. Mitosis separates these chromatids, so that each new cell has a copy
of every chromosome.

A diagram of a cell ready for mitosis. The copied chromosomes consist of two
chromatids joined at the centromere
The process of mitosis involves a number of different stages. The following diagram
sets out the stages, and the main events that occur in each stage.

The phases of mitosis

Meiosis
Some simple organisms - such as bacteria - can reproduce by simply dividing into two
new individuals. Other organisms, including human beings, reproduce through sexual
reproduction. New individuals are formed by the joining together of two special cells: a
sperm cell and an egg cell.

The cells in our bodies contain 23 pairs of chromosomes - giving us 46 chromosomes in

total. Sperm cells and egg cells contain 23 single chromosomes, half the normal
number, and are made by a special form of cell division called meiosis.
Meiosis separates the pairs of matching (or 'homologous') chromosomes, so that sperm
cells and egg cells have only one copy of each. That way, when an egg cell fuses with a
sperm cell, the fertilised egg has a full set: that is, two copies of every chromosome.
Meiosis involves two cell divisions: Meiosis I and Meiosis II.
Meiosis I separates the matching - or 'homologous' - pairs of chromosomes.
Meiosis II divides each chromosome into two copies (much like mitosis).
In Meiosis I, each daughter cell receives a mix of chromosomes from the two sets in the
parent cell. In addition, the chromosomes in each matching pair swap some genetic
material before they are parted in a process called crossing over. These processes
produce new combinations of genes in the sperm cells and egg cells.
The following diagrams set out the main stages of Meiosis I and Meiosis II in males. (A
similar process in females produces egg cells rather than sperm cells.)