WMSU-ISMP-GU-002.

00
Effective Date: 7-DEC-2016

Activity No. 1
The Cell Cycle

Cell undergoes a complete cycle to produce two new daughter cells in mitosis
and four daughter cells in meiosis. This activity will allow students to observed cells
undergoing mitosis both in plants and animals.

Objectives:

1. To know the concept of the cell cycle

2. To explain the different stages of the cell cycle in both mitosis and meiosis

Materials:

Internet sources of whitefish blastula/ascaris uterus and onion root tip mitosis.

Procedure:
1. Whitefish blastula/ or ascaris as representative for animal mitosis and onion root
tip for plant mitosis.
2. Given the description below, locate a cell that undergo such stages of the .cell
cycle and make observation by drawing a cell on the boxes provided in your
worksheet.

Let us begin describing the cell cycle at interphase. This is a period of intense activity
inside the cell. The real aspect of resting by the cell is the actual division of the cell.
There are many important events that occur during interphase.

1. The G1 is an important preparatory step for DNA replication. It is at this stage that
transfer RNA ribosomes, messenger RNA and many enzymes are synthesized.
2. The S stage follows the G1. During this stage, an important event takes place in
preparing the cell for division proper; each chromosome is being copied.
3. At G2, the spindle and aster proteins are synthesized in preparation for the
separation of the chromosomes during mitosis. The actual division of the cell
starts after this stage.

Mitosis immediately follows. Mitosis happens in four stages…….prophase, metaphase,

anaphase and telophase……..where each original and replicated chromosomes separate and
move to the opposite poles of the cell. Cytokinesis then divides the cell so that each of the
new cells that will produced will receive the same set of chromosomes as the other. The
duration of each mitotic phase varies in different cells. It may last for only 10 minutes as in
Drosophila or it may last for hours or even days in other kinds of cells. Usually G1 lasts
longer than G2. The cells of the embryo undergo a rapid cell division since there is no growth
in the cell between successive divisions. As an organism develops, the duration of the cell
cycle becomes longer and many cells stay for a long period at one stage (quiescent stage)
which is called the G0. The neurons stay permanently at G0 stage that is why they stop
undergoing division.

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Studies have discovered many substances that may control the cell cycle such as cdc2 kinase
and cyclin. The former (cyclin) stimulates the latter (cdc2) which in turn adds phosphate to
many proteins.

MITOSIS: Nuclear division of the somatic cells

Mitosis is the usual means which a cell divides. This takes place in the somatic or body cells
of plants and animals. Mitosis is sometimes referred to as equatorial division because each of
the daughter cells produced receives the same number and kind of chromosomes, as a
consequence therefore, the genes are exactly alike as those of the original mother cell.
However, because mitosis is not a perfect process, mistakes can sometimes happen in the
transmission of the chromosomes that is why a cell may lack one or two chromosomes or it
may have an access of one or two chromosomes.

There are two steps in cell division: the division of the nucleus (karyokinesis) and the
division of the cytoplasm (cytokinesis).Cytokinesis immediately follows karyokinesis,
however, sometimes the division of the nucleus is not followed by cytoplasmic division. This
results in what is called a multinucleate cell. A good example is the osteoclast of bone, a
phagocytic cell which has 15-20 nuclei.

The mitotic process has four successive stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.

1. Prophase- At the beginning of prophase, the centrosomes are replicated and the
two will move to the opposite sides of the nucleus. In between the two
centrosomes, microtubules will be produced. It may be noted that the
chromosomes are chromatin granules because they are stretched or uncoiled.
These will shorten, thicken and will become more visible as chromosomes. As a
matter of fact, each is made up of two sister chromatids joined at their centromere.
The nuclear membrane will slowly dissolve.
2. Metaphase- Each centromere has two kinetochore attached to the centrosome by
means of kinetochore fiber.

The chromosomes will cluster at the center of the cell with the centromeres aligning at the
metaphase plate or equatorial plate.

3. Anaphase- The single centromere of the two chromatids will divide and each
chromatid will be pulled to the opposite poles by the shortening kinetochore
fibers. As the spindle fiber lengthen, the chromosomes will be further separated.
This is called the assembly-disassembly of the tubulin subunit of the microtubule
fibers.
4. Telophase- When the chromosomes reach the opposite poles, telophase begins.
The spindle fibers dissolve, and the chromosomes will once stretch, uncoil and
will appear as chromatin. The nuclear envelope will again be formed.

When telophase is under way, cleavage furrow is taking place in the cytoplasm at the middle
of the cell. The cell then divides into two daughter cells through the interaction of the actin
and myosin, proteins that have the capacity to contract.

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The nerve cells or neurons no longer increase in number, mitosis no longer take place in them
after a few months of embryonic development. Mitosis also ceases in the myscle cells when
the embryo is in the third month, and the growth of the muscles is only due to the growth of
their fibers.

As the cells mature, their structure may be destroyed, dead or thick materials may build up,
metabolism as well as enzyme synthesis slow down. Because of these, the cells eventually
die.

MEIOSIS: Nuclear division of the germ cells

Every cell of the body possesses two sets of chromosomes that carry the genes for the same
trait and the two members of the pair are of the same size and form. Each of the pairs come
from our parents and are called homologous chromosomes. That is why it is common that a
cell contains two genes that serve as copies, alleles, for a single trait. Whichever is transferred
to the offspring as a result of meiosis and subsequent fertilization, only one of the two alleles
affect the organism.

The gametes that are produced in the tested and ovary undergo meiosis where the
homologous chromosomes are separated. Without this type of division, the union of the
sperm and the egg will result to an individual having double the chromosome number of the
parent cell.

In meiosis, there are two successive nuclear divisions but the doubling of the chromosomes
happens only once. The result is that the sperm and the egg will have only one of each of the
homologous pairs of chromosomes and referred to as haploid (N) number of chromosomes.

Many of the peculiar characteristics of meiosis happen during prophase I, the first meiotic
division. The homologous pairs will join together as two chromatids. The homologous pairs
will have four chromatids, called tetrad. The genetic materials of the tetrad may exchange (
crossing-over) at synapsis. During this crossing over of the chromosomes in the production of
the sex cells, the differential characteristics of the sex cells increase.

At anaphase I, the pairs of homologous chromosomes separate. During anaphase II, the
chromatids of each chromosome move away from each other. The chromatids will be
transferred to each daughter cell to ensure that the number of chromosomes in the succeeding
generations of organisms will be maintained.

Meiosis is important because it results to variation of the offspring. It also guarantees that the
sex cells will only have one half of the chromosome number so that during fertilization the
offspring will contain the diploid chromosome number.

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W O R K S H E E T
Activity No. I
The Cell Cycle

Group Number_________ Date Performed: _________

Members________________________________ Date Submitted: _________

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Draw a single cell undergoing the different stages of mitosis in the appropriate boxes
below.

Plant Interphase Animal Interphase

Plant Prophase Animal Prophase Plant Metaphase Animal Metaphase

Plant Anaphase Animal Anaphase Plant Telophase Animal Telophase

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Questions:
1. In tabular for state the differences between mitosis and meiosis? Give basis of
classification.

2. Explain the valid reasons as to why meiosis is necessarily important.

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Generalization:

References:

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