Mitosis Pillow

Project Overview

The Mitosis Pillow is just that: a pillow depicting the four stages of mitosis! Throughout this short article, you will learn the basics of the cell cycle, the four stages of mitosis along with interphase and cytokinesis (cytokinsis is not pictured, but very important!!!).

The cell cycle is divided into four phases: G1, S, G2, and M. Interphase, or the time between cell divisions, is composed of the G1, S, and G2 phases. The M phase is the time of cell division, consisting of mitosis and cytokinesis.

Interphase

Interphase, as mentioned above, is the period between cell divisions consisting of the G1, S, and G2 phases. It is the longest phase of the cell cycle. One thing to note is that "G" stands for gap, and "S" stands for synthesis.

G1 phase:

Cell growth
Synthesizing new proteins & organelles
Great growth and activity

S phase: DNA Replication

New DNA is synthesized
Cell ends up with twice the amount of DNA than at the beginning
S phase is needed to make sure that each daughter cell is genetically identical with the same capabilities
The longest phase of interphase

G2 phase:

The shortest phase of interphase
Materials required for cell division are produced

M Phase

M phase is the period of cell division. Cell division in eukaryotes consists of the two phases of mitosis (division of the nucleus) and cytokinesis (division of the cytoplasm). Mitosis consists of four phases: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. (A handy acronym to remember these is PMAT). Click on any of the following parts of mitosis to learn about their key characteristics.

Prophase

First and longest phase of mitosis
Duplicated chromosomes condense and DNA becomes visible
The centrioles travel to opposite poles and aid in the organization of the spindle
Spindle forms and spindle fibers attach at the centromere of the chromosomes
Nucleolus disappears, and nuclear envelope disintegrates

Metaphase

Second phase of mitosis
Centromeres of duplicated chromosomes line up along the metaphase plate (center of the cell)
Spindle fibers attached to the centromere connect each chromosome to the separate poles of the spindle

Anaphase

Third and shortest phase of mitosis
Chromatids are pulled apart, forming individual chromosomes
Chromosomes are split up into two groups, each moving toward one pole

Telophase

Fourth and last stage of mitosis
Chromosomes uncoil to a tangle of chromatin
Nucleolus and nuclear envelope reform
Two identical daughter nuclei develop
Spindle fibers disintegrate since they are no longer neded
Side note: The way I remember the different parts of telophase is that it's similar to prophase, just reversed!

Cytokinesis

Cytokinesis occurs differently in animals and plants due to the difference in structure. In animals, the cell membrane pinches in until the pinches meet and the cytoplasm is completely split into two equal parts (daughter cells).

In plants, the rigid cell wall does not allow this process of pinching in, so a cell plate forms between the two nuclei instead. This cell plate develops into cell membranes and then into a cell wall.

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