Mitosis and

Meiosis
Announcements:
Assignments for Next Week:
The Cell Cycle,
Mitosis, and
Meiosis
The Cell Cycle
•The process of replicating a cell’s genetic material so that it may
ultimately divide into two daughter cells
•Heavily regulated; loss of regulation can result in disease like cancer and
other uncontrolled growth phenotypes
•The Cell Cycle can be split up into 4 main phases:
◦ G1
◦ Interphase
S
◦ G2
◦ M
 Interphase
•This is the part of the cell cycle where the cell
spends most of its time
•That’s why when you looked through the
microscope at the plant and animal cells the
majority of them were in interphase
•Interphase accounts for about 90% of the cell
cycle, while Mitosis only takes up 10%
(timewise)

Interphase includes:
◦ G1
◦ S
◦ G2
G1 Phase
•G = “Gap”
•In this stage, if the cell is going to
enter mitosis it will prepare to
duplicate it’s genetic material via
chromosome replication
•The cell will generally increase in
size
S Phase
•DNA replication occurs
•By the end of S Phase, the
amount of genetic material
has doubled
•It is important to remember
that the ploidy (“n” number)
of the cells have not
changed, they remain
diploid or 2n
G2 Phase
•G= “Gap”
•Growth and final
preparations for cell division
M Phase (Mitosis)
•The Mitotic Phase can be further
broken down into 4 stage
(cytokinesis is not generally
considered to be a part of
mitosis proper)
•Will produce two genetically
identical daughter cells once
cytokinesis occurs
•The function of Mitosis is
growth, replacement of
damaged or old cells
• Also serves as asexual
reproduction in some
organisms
Prophase
•The chromosomes condense and
become visible in the nucleus
•The nuclear membrane disappears
and the chromosomes spread out in
the cell
•A framework within the cell, called
the spindle, begins to form
Metaphase
•The chromosomes line up across
the middle (equator) of the cell
Anaphase
•The two identical sets of
chromosomes migrate along the
spindle fibers to opposite poles of
the cell
•During the latter half of anaphase, a
cleavage furrow starts to form
between the two poles
• This provides a glimpse as to how it
will split off into two daughter cells
Telophase
•The chromosomes uncoil and again
become threadlike and indistinct
•A nuclear membrane forms around
each of the two sets of
chromosomes at each pole
•The cleavage furrow is now distinct
and you can clearly see where two
new daughter cells will appear
 Cytokinesis
•Occurs immediately following telophase
during the M Phase
• Not technically part of mitosis
•In this phase, cell division occurs
•In plants, a cell wall forms across the
center of the cell to divide it into two
separate compartments
•In animals, no cell wall is formed.
Instead, the cleavage furrow will
become progressively deeper until it
pinches the parent cell into two
daughter cells
 Centrosome
Aster
Metaphase
Sister plate
chromatids (imaginary) Microtubules

Chromosomes
Kineto-
chores Centrosome
1 m

Overlapping
nonkinetochore
microtubules Kinetochore
microtubules

0.5 m
(a) Cleavage of an animal cell (SEM) (b) Cell plate formation in a plant cell (TEM)

100 m Vesicles Wall of parent cell 1 m

Cleavage furrow forming
cell plate Cell plate New cell wall

Contractile ring of Daughter cells

microfilaments Daughter cells
Fish blastula MITOSIS

Onion root

Interphase Prophase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase

Meiosis
•“Reductional division”
•Required process in organisms that reproduce sexually
•Converts a diploid cell (2n) into a haploid cell (1n or n)
•Meiosis is performed in two cycles (I and II) and each cycle
contains the same stages as are seen in Mitosis (PMAT +
Cytokinesis)
Meiosis
•We will use a human cell to model this process
• Normally a human cell has 22 sets of autosomes and 1 set
of sex chromosomes, or “allosomes” (male = XY, female =
XX)
• This gives humans a total of 23 SETS of chromosomes,
but a TOTAL chromosome number of 46. 2n = diploid = 46
• The point of meiosis is to produce haploid cells from
diploid cells, so we want to reduce the 2n cells to 1n cells
to produce eggs or sperm (depending on the organism’s
sex)
Figure 13.4

Key • Diploid
Maternal set of • Post-S-Phase in cell cycle
2n  6 chromosomes (n  3) • N = chromosomes
Paternal set of • C = chromatids
chromosomes (n  3)

Sister chromatids
of one duplicated
chromosome
Centromere

Two nonsister Pair of homologous

chromatids in chromosomes
a homologous pair (one from each set)
Key Haploid gametes (n  23) Note: n= number of
Haploid (n) Egg (n) individual chromosomes (not
Diploid (2n) pairs)

Sperm (n)
MEIOSIS FERTILIZATION

Ovary Testis
Diploid
zygote
(2n  46)

Mitosis and
development

Multicellular diploid
adults (2n  46)
Meiosis I
•DNA replication immediately precedes this step, resulting in pairs of
homologous chromosomes
•The homologous chromosomes in the diploid (2n) mother cell
segregate, producing 2 haploid (1n) daughter cells
•Meiosis I is where genetic diversity is generated, specifically crossing
over, which occurs in Prophase I
A pair of homologous
chromosomes is also
known as a “tetrad”
Meiosis II
•Similar to Mitosis but without another round of DNA replication (S
Phase)
•The chromatids of each chromosome are no longer identical because
crossing over has occurred
•Meiosis II will separate the sister chromatids of each chromosome to
ultimately produce 4 haploid (1n) daughter cells that each have 23
chromosomes (that are unpaired)
• These haploid allosomes (sex cells) are sperm or eggs, and will become
diploid during fertilization to produce a new, genetically different
offspring
Mitosis vs. Meiosis
MITOSIS MEIOSIS

•Daughter cells are identical •Daughter cells are genetically

distinct after crossing over
•Daughter cells are diploid (2n)
•Daughter cells are haploid (n)
•Homologous chromosomes assort
independently •Homologous chromosomes pair up
at metaphase 1
 MITOSIS MEIOSIS

Parent cell MEIOSIS I

Chiasma

Prophase Prophase I
Chromosome Chromosome
Duplicated duplication duplication Homologous
chromosome 2n  6 chromosome pair

Metaphase Metaphase I

Anaphase Anaphase I
Telophase Daughter Telophase I
cells of
Haploid
meiosis I
n3

2n 2n MEIOSIS II

Daughter cells n n n n
of mitosis
Daughter cells of meiosis II
 Independent Assortment
During Meiosis
Possibility 1 Possibility 2

Two equally probable

arrangements of
chromosomes at
metaphase I

Metaphase II

Daughter
cells
Combination 1 Combination 2 Combination 3 Combination 4
Prophase I Nonsister chromatids
of meiosis held together
during synapsis
Pair of homologs
Figure 13.11-2
Prophase I Nonsister chromatids
of meiosis held together
during synapsis
Pair of homologs

Chiasma

Centromere
TEM
Figure 13.11-3
Prophase I Nonsister chromatids
of meiosis held together
during synapsis
Pair of homologs

Chiasma

Centromere
TEM
Anaphase I
Figure 13.11-4
Prophase I Nonsister chromatids
of meiosis held together
during synapsis
Pair of homologs

Chiasma

Centromere
TEM
Anaphase I

Anaphase II
Figure 13.11-5
Prophase I Nonsister chromatids
of meiosis held together
during synapsis
Pair of homologs

Chiasma

Centromere
TEM
Anaphase I

Anaphase II

Daughter
cells
Recombinant chromosomes
Important Facts
•Mitosis can proceed regardless of the ploidy of the cell (1n,
2n, etc.) because homologous chromosomes behave
independently
•On the other hand, Meiosis can only occur if the nucleus
contains and even number of chromosomes (diploid or
tetrapoloid [4n])
Important Facts
•Nondisjunction- occurs during
Meiosis I; when homologous
chromosomes don’t separate
correctly
◦ Is usually lethal
◦ Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome, is
the exception. Results in 3 copies of
the 23rd chromosome
◦ Can also occur with the sex
chromosomes leading to other
genetic diseases
◦ Trisomies 13 and 18 are viable until
birth, but not long after that
Announcements