Skip to main content

Cell Cycle

Image
By

 The cell cycle is a fundamental process that all cells go through to divide and replicate. It is a complex series of stages that ensures the accurate duplication and distribution of a cell's genetic material to its daughter cells. The cell cycle can be broadly divided into two phases: interphase and the mitotic phase.


  • Interphase: is the longest part of the cell cycle, during which the cell grows and copies its DNA in preparation for division. Interphase itself is subdivided into three phases:
    • G1 Phase (First Gap): The cell grows in size, produces RNA, synthesizes proteins, and prepares the necessary components for DNA replication.
    • S Phase (Synthesis): The cell replicates its DNA, ensuring that each daughter cell will receive an exact copy of the genetic material.
    •  G2 Phase (Second Gap): The cell continues to grow and produces proteins necessary for mitosis.


Following interphase, the cell enters the mitotic phase, which is composed of:

Mitosis: The process where the replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Mitosis itself includes several stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Cytokinesis: The final stage where the cell's cytoplasm divides, creating two distinct daughter cells.


The cell cycle is tightly regulated by a series of checkpoints that ensure the cell is ready to proceed to the next stage. These checkpoints prevent the division of damaged or incomplete cells, which could lead to genetic disorders or cancer.


Understanding the cell cycle is crucial for the study of cellular biology, as it provides insights into how organisms grow, develop, and reproduce. It also has significant implications for cancer research, as many cancer treatments target rapidly dividing cells by disrupting their cell cycles.


For a more in-depth exploration of the cell cycle, consider reading articles from reputable sources such as Khan Academy or the detailed entry on Wikipedia. These resources offer comprehensive overviews of the cell cycle, its phases, and its regulation. Biology Dictionary also provides a concise definition and explanation of the cell cycle.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Genetic Mutations

By
  GENETIC MUTATIONS Genetic mutations  are spontaneous changes occurring in the genetic material, (DNA) of an individual. Mutations can be passed to the next generations or may not, depending upon the type of cell in which they occur.       They can be harmful, beneficial or even neutral. Usually these are caused naturally but they can be caused by harmful radiations or chemicals or drugs etc. Somatic cell’s mutations do not pass to the offspring. While the mutations in germ line cells are hereditary. The term mutation was given by Devries in 1909. Types of Mutations Two most basic categories of mutations are: Point mutations These mutations are those occurring only at certain points in chromosomes or the genes if it. For example, insertion, deletion etc. Chromosomal mutation More sever class of mutations is chromosomal mutations. It includes deletion of one or set of chromosome, or may be more number of chromosomes is present in genome than normal numbers....
Post a Comment
Read more
By
 Genomics_command_line_quiz1 For all projects, you may use your own Unix-based system and, where applicable, ensure that you are running the version of the software specified in the assignments. Alternatively, you may use the VMBox virtual machine environment provided with the course materials. Instructions on how to download and use the environment can be found on the course web site. For the following questions, refer to the class workflow and use the data in the Online materials (‘gencommand_proj1_data.tar.gz’) to answer the questions. Assume you sequenced and assembled the genome of Malus domestica (apple), and performed gene annotation. You then collected samples and ran RNA-seq experiments to determine sets of genes that are expressed in the various tissues. This information was stored, respectively, in the following files: “apple.genome”, “apple.genes”, “apple.condition{A,B,C}”. NOTE: The apple genome and the apple gene annotations for this project were extracted from the Ro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Immunotherapy

By
 
Post a Comment
Read more