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

Materials:
Prepared slide of whitefish blastula/ascaris uterus and onion root tip.

Procedure:
1. Examine the prepared slide of whitefish blastula / or ascaris slide 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 an 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 chromosomes is being copied.
3. At G2, the spindle and aster proteins are synthesized in preparation for the
separation of 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 cell 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 kind 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 that is why they stop undergoing division.
Studies have discovered many substances that may control the cell cycle such as cdc kinase and
cyclin. The former (cyclin) stimulates the latter (cdc) which in turn add phosphate to many
proteins.

MITOSIS: Nuclear division of 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 nucleus is not followed by cytoplasmic division. This results in what we called
multinucleate cell. A good example is the osteoclast of bone, 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 centromeres 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
cell 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 fiber 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.

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 cell mature, their structure may be destroyed, dead or thick materials maybe 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 possess two set 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 testes 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 chromosome number of the parent cell.
In meiosis, there are two successive nuclear division but the doubling of the chromosomes
happens only once. The result is the sperm and 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 pair of homologous chromosomes separate. During anaphase II, the
chromatids of each chromosomes move away from each other. The chromatids will be
transferred to each daughter cell to ensure 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
cell will only have one half of the chromosome number so that during fertilization the offspring
will contain the diploid chromosome number.
 W O R K S H E E T
ACTIVITY 1
THE CELL CYCLE

Group number: Date performed:

Members: Date submitted:

Draw a single cell undergoing the different stages of mitosis in the appropriate boxes below. Just
choose a one representative cell for animal (whitefish blastula / ascaris uterus) and onion root tip
for plant cell.

Plant interphase Animal interphase

Plant prophase Animal prophase plant metaphase animal metaphase

 Plant Anaphase Animal Anaphase Plant Telophase Animal Telophase
Questions:
1. What is the differences between mitosis and meiosis? Give basis of the classification.

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

Generalization:

References: