∞ generated and posted on 2016.12.16 ∞
Duplication of the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell.
| Mitosis is intimately tied to the division of eukaryotic cells though particularly is the means by which a eukaryotic cell goes, following chromosome replication, from having one nucleus to having two identical cell nuclei, a process that usually is followed by cytoplasmic division (cytokinesis) but not always. |
Mitosis is also known as M phase of a cell cycle. The process is also differentiated into a number of phases known, in order, as prophase, prometaphase (not always independently indicated), metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
The process of mitosis is not necessarily one of cell division since in a number of circumstances organisms will duplicate their nucleus well prior to dividing their cytoplasms, if at all, where the latter process is known as cytokinesis. Nonetheless, in eukaryotic cells, cell division consists of mitoticprocesses that are followed by cytokinesis.
Figure legend: Interphase, mitosis, and cytokinesis as viewed in an onion root tip. From left to right, top to bottom: (1) Interphase (note lack of condensation of chromosomes), (2) early prophase, (3) later prophase, (4) even later prophase (prometaphase), (5) metaphase, (6) metaphase, (7) later anaphase, earlier telophase, (8) telophase and cytokinesis, and (9) cytokinesis (note also decondensation of chromosomes).
Figure legend: Interphase, mitosis, and cytokinesis as viewed in a whitefish blastula. From left to right, top to bottom: (1) Interphase (note lack of condensation of chromosomes), (2) early prophase, (3) metaphase, (4) metaphase, (5) anaphase, (6) anaphase, (7) anaphase, (8) telophase, and (9) telophase and cytokinesis (note decondensation of chromosomes).
Note that the following video considers a bit more than "just" mitosis, and also does not include prometaphase, which is that long jostling period there described as metaphase:
The following video provides a cartoon animation of normal, everyday cell division by eukaryotes:
See also chromatin and chromosome as well as meiosis.