hey guys,
what is the level of detail that we need to know for each phase of the cell cycle?
Cell cycle is composed of 5 main stages including:
- G1 phase: The cell prepares itself, grows and develops itself in size. There is a checkpoint at the end of this phase known as G0 phase or check point 1. This checkpoint ensures that the cell has appropriately grown in size and if it is ready for the next stage.
- S phase: This is the synthesis phase. The DNA of the cell replicates and hence two identical sister chromatids are present for each chromosome, held together by a centromere. (You should know the steps that occur during DNA replication)
- G2 phase: The cell further grows and develops, and new organelles are produces for the two separate cells after mitosis. There is a check point after this phase known as check point 2, and at this point the DNA replication is being checked, to ensure that all DNA has successfully replicated without any mutations.
- M phase: Mitosis phase is compose of four separate stages: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase. You should also know what occurs in each of these stages. Note that there is a check point between metaphase and anaphase, to ensure that the mitotic spindle has successfully attached to the centromeres of each chromosomes, so that the sister chromatids can be pulled apart during anaphase.
- Cytokinesis: A cleavage furrow (animals) pushes inwards in the cell and a region of abscission forms, essentially dividing the two identical daughter diploid cells.
Hope that helped, that is all we need to know