click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Cell Cycle
Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cell Cycle | The process by which cells grow and divide to produce more cells. |
| Mitosis | The phase of the eukaryotic cells cycle in which a single cell divides into two cells. |
| Interphase | The longest phase of the cell cycle, in which the cell grows, performs its functions, and, if it is going to divide, replicates its DNA. |
| Prophase | Th first phase of mitosis in which chromosomes condense, becoming visible, the nuclear membrane dissolves, and the centrosomes move to opposite ends of the nucleus and spindle fibers form. |
| Metaphase | The phase of mitosis where chromosomes line up along an imaginary line (the metaphase plate) in the middle of the cell. |
| Anaphase | The phase of mitosis in which spindle fibers begin to shorten, separating the sister chromatids, and pulling them to opposite ends of the cell. |
| Telophase | The phase of mitosis in which the genetic material has been separated, and the nuclear membrane begins to reform to create two separate, but identical, nuclei. |
| Cytokinesis | The division of the cytoplasm into two separate cells during cellular respiration. |
| DNA Replication | The synthesis of a new DNA molecule that has the same nucleotide sequences as a pre-existing DNA molecule. |
| Cancer | A disease resulting from the uncontrolled growth and division of the cells of a multi-cellular organism. |
| Binary Fission | A from of sexual reproduction where a single-celled organism replicates its DNA and divides into identical cells. |
| Somatic Cell | A cell that is not part of the germ line (i.e., does not give rise to gametes). |
| Stem Cell | An undifferentiated cell than can differentiate into one or more specialized cell types or divide to produce more undifferentiated cells. |