The Cell Cycle
Eukaryotic cell cycle
Interphase: G1 phase, G0 phase, S phase, G2 phase
Mitosis: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase
Cytokinesis
Amoeba Sisters video
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Eukaryotic cell cycle
Cell cycle begins with a single cell – this then grows and divides into two daughter cells
through replication and division
The cell cycle has 3 main phases:
1. Interphase
2. Mitosis
3. Cytokinesis
Must always follow this sequence
The ‘cell cycle’ is the period between one cytokinesis and the next
In actively growing cells, interphase takes up the longest portion of the cell cycle (approx.
90%), and mitosis and cytokinesis form a relatively short part of the cycle (approx. 10%)
Interphase
First stage of cell cycle
Divided into 3 main phases:
1. G1 (pre-DNA synthesis)
2. S (DNA synthesis)
3. G2 (post-DNA synthesis)
Can also be G0, a resting phase – cells enter this phase at start of G1 and simply carry
out the functions of the cell, not changing internal structures or growing; enter back into
cell cycle at G1 prior to dividing.
Some specialised cells such as red blood cells and nerve cells never re-enter the cell cycle,
and remain instead in G0 phase and never replicate
Length of cell cycle
The duration of the cell cycle varies from organism to organism and from cell to cell
Certain fly embryos have cell cycles that last only 8 minutes per cycle!
Some mammals take much longer than that - up to a year in certain liver cells
Generally for fast-dividing mammalian cells, the length of the cycle is approximately 24 hours
G1 about 10 hours of the 24 total hours of the cell cycle
S phase between 5 and 6 hours
G2 between 3 to 4 hours in most cells
In sum, then, interphase generally takes between 18 and 20 hours
Mitosis, during which the cell completes cell division only takes about 2 hours
G1 phase
G1 phase:
Smallish daughter cell (resulted from a previous
division)
Undergoes metabolic processes such as protein
synthesis, and organelles and membrane synthesis,
and almost doubles in size
G1 is typically the longest phase of the cell cycle
Cells usually remain in G1 for about 10 hours of the 24
total hours of the cell cycle (in mammals anyway!)
Some cells will enter G0 phase from here (eg.
Specialised cells)
G1 phase cont…
G1 checkpoint (aka restriction point):
1. Adequate resources for cell division to
proceed? Enough nucleotides and energy?
2. Is cell large enough to divide?
3. Is the DNA in the nucleus free from damage?
If the cell passes the above it is committed to
the cell division process
If not, it may go into resting phase (G0)
temporarily (until things improve) or
permanently
S phase
S phase:
Chromosomes are replicated in the
nucleus
Each chromosome makes an exact replica
of itself
Sister chromatids are joined at the
centromere
As a result, the amount of DNA in the cell
doubles (but the ploidy number remains the
same!)
S phase
During the S phase, DNA is synthesised
DNA replication is semi-conservative: each daughter DNA molecule consists of one old
and one newly synthesised strand
There are 3 phases in replication:
1. Parent DNA molecule starts to ‘unzip’ at one end
2. Complementary bases are attached to the both strands of the unwound DNA, according to
complementary base-pairing rules (A-T; G-C)
3. The two daughter strands re-form: each has an old and a newly replicated strand and both
are identical to each other and to the parent DNA molecule
G2 phase
G2 phase:
Secondary stage of growth and metabolic processes;
energy acquisition
Materials required for mitosis are synthesised
G2 checkpoint:
Has DNA been synthesised correctly? No
replication mistakes or DNA damage?
Adequate resources for mitosis? Proteins?
Energy?
Adequate cell size?
If passes all these, then can pass into the mitotic
phase; If not: attempts repair
If cannot repair, cell will undergo apoptosis
(programmed cell death)
Interphase summary
G1 / Gap 1
• Cell growth, increasing cytosol
• Synthesis of proteins needed for DNA
replication
• Mitochondria (& Chloroplasts) divide
S / Synthesis
• Synthesis / Replication of DNA
G2 / Gap 2
• Further growth
• Synthesis of proteins for microtubules
• Cell has doubled in size by the end of
this phase
M phase: Mitosis
Mitosis is the division of the nucleus
4 sub-phases but is a continuous process: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase
Can tell the sub-phases of mitosis apart from the appearance of the chromosomes and
their position in the cell
Prophase: first time that the chromosomes become visible as a result of condensing
(shortening and thickening)
Metaphase: the chromosomes line up down the middle of the cell (the ‘equator’; spindle
fibres attach to chromosome centromeres
Anaphase: the sister chromatids are ‘dragged’ apart to the poles of the cell
Telophase: the nuclear envelope reforms around each of the newly formed bunches of
chromosomes; the chromatin de-condenses
Cytokinesis occurs after telophase; the cytoplasm is divided and the cell membrane
pinches in to form 2 new cell membranes; in plants, a new cell wall forms to separate
the cells
Plant cell images: Which phase is which?
Prophase Metaphase Anaphase
Chromatin
Anaphase Telophase
Mitosis
M phase
M phase:
Mitosis phase also has a checkpoint
M checkpoint (aka spindle checkpoint):
Towards end of metaphase
Have all spindle fibres have attached correctly to the sister
chromatids?
Are all chromosomes correctly aligned along the
midline/equator of cell?
If so, will proceed to anaphase
If not, will wait until the spindle has captured any stray
chromosomes!
Cytokinesis
Cytoplasm divides and new nuclei separate
Animal cells:
plasma membrane moves inwards, pinching
the 2 daughter cells apart – ‘cleavage
furrow’
Plant and fungal cells:
A cell plate forms across the centre of the cell
Carbohydrate rich vesicles are deposited
during telophase
The vesicles fuse together and form a cell
plate
Cell plate extends outwards and eventually
separates the two daughter cells during
cytokinesis
----PROPHASE-------n
Resource for checkpoints and more info:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-molecular-biology/stem-cells-and-c
ancer/a/cell-cycle-checkpoints-article
Another video on the cell cycle that goes back to basics:
https://youtu.be/gTZ_vj-HdzM
