Meiosis and Mitosis

Basis of reproduction - Cell Division

Types of cell division

1. Duplicating - Mitosis

2. Reducing - Meiosis

Duplicating and reducing refer to the number of

chromosomes in the cells after divisiion

Mitosis and Meiosis
Mitosis

Meiosis

Mitosis

- duplication of cells (at the end of the process -
produce two cells with the same chromosome number
(2N) as the parent cell)

Mitosis

Mitosis has 5 phases:

1. Prophase

2. Prometaphase

3. Metaphase

4. Anaphase

5. Telophase and Cytokinesis

 centrioles

chromatin

What’s happening?

1. DNA has already been duplicated (chromatin)

2. Centrioles form

Prophase

Mitotic spindle
fibres

sister
chromatids

Condensing

chromatin

What’s happening?

1. Chromatin condenses and chromosomes become visible

2. Mitotic spindle fibres appear

3. Duplicated chromosomes appear as ‘sister chromatids’

Some terms about chromosome structure

Unduplicated

chromosome

Sister chromatids

Duplicated

chromosome

Centromere

Prometaphase

Nuclear envelope

Mitotic
spindle

kinetochore

What’s happening?

1. Nuclear envelop breaks down

2. Mitotic spindle invades nuclear area

3. Each sister chromatid develops a kinetochore at the centromere

Metaphase

metaphase
plate

attached

kinetochores

What’s happening?

1. Chromosomes line up on ‘metaphase plate’

2. Kinetochores of each sister chromatid are attached to a spindle fibre

Anaphase

Spindle
fibres
contract

What’s happening?

1. Proteins holding sister chromatids together break down

2. Spindle fibres contract and pull sister chromatids apart

Telophase and Cytokinesis

Daughter
nuclei

Cleavage
furrow

Nuclear
envelope

What’s happening?

1. Two daughter nuclei form

2. Nuclear envelope re-forms

3. Cleavage furrow forms, pinching the cell in two (cytokinesis)

And to summarize …..

G2
Prophase
Prometaphase
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase &
interphase
Cytokinesis

End up with two identical daughter cells

Meiosis

- reduction division of cells (at the end of the process -

produce four cells each with the half chromosome
number (N) as the parent cell)

Meiosis

Meiosis I

Meiosis II

Meiosis I

(Purpose: To separate pairs of the same chromosome (homologous pairs))

Meiosis II

Meiosis I

Meiosis I

(Purpose: To separate pairs of the same chromosome (homologous pairs))

Prophase 1

1. Chromosomes condense & homologous
pairs line up side-by-side (synapsis)

2. Crossing over - homologous pairs

exchange genetic material

Meiosis I

(Purpose: To separate pairs of the same chromosome (homologous pairs))

Metaphase 1

1. Chromosomes line up on metaphase
plate. One pair on each side of the
plate

2. Spindle fibres attach to kinetochores
of each homologous chromosome

Meiosis I

(Purpose: To separate pairs of the same chromosome (homologous pairs))

Anaphase 1

1. Homologous chromosomes move to
opposite poles of the cell

Meiosis I

(Purpose: To separate pairs of the same chromosome (homologous pairs))

Telophase 1 & cytokinesis

1. Cell divides into two cells each with
half the number of chromosomes as the
parent cell (haploid)

Meiosis II (- same process as mitosis but with 1/2 the chromosomes)

(Purpose: To separate sister chromatids)

Telophase Telophase
& Prophase
Metaphase
Anaphase
&
Cytokinesis
Cytokinesis

(Meiosis I)
(Meiosis II)

 Comparison of Mitosis and Meiosis

Property



Mitosis


Meiosis

DNA replication


During interphase

During interphase





before mitosis

before meiosis I

Number of divisions

One


Two

Synapsis of homologous

Doesn’t occur

During prophase I

chromosomes

Number of daughter cells

2


4

Number of chromosomes in each

2N (diploid)

N (haploid)

daughter cell

Function of cells produced

growth, maintenance
gametes