Reading: Mitosis

Vocab

Mitosis: Process in which the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell divides.

Prophase: First phase of mitosis during which chromatin condense into chromosomes, the nuclear envelope breaks down, centrioles separate, and a spindle begins to form.

Metaphase: Second phase of mitosis during which chromosomes line up at the equator of the cell.

Anaphase: Third phase of mitosis during which sister chromatids separate and move to opposite poles of the cell.

Telophase: Last stage of mitosis during which chromosomes uncoil to form chromatin, the spindle breaks down, and new nuclear membranes form.

Chromosome: Coiled structure made of DNA and proteins containing sister chromatids that is the form the genetic material of a cell goes through cell division.

Chromatid: One of two identical copies of a chromosome that are joined together at a centromere before a cell divides.

Centromere: Region of sister chromatids where they are joined together.

Homologous Chromosomes: Pair of chromosomes that have the same size and shape and contain the same genes.

Metaphase Plate: The invisible line at the equator (center) of the cell where the chromosomes containing the sister chromotids line up during metaphase.

Cell Plate: The structure that forms during cytokinesis in plants and eventually leads to the plasma membrane and cell wall of the two daughter plants.