BI110 Chapter Notes - Chapter 32, 33: Centromere, G0 Phase, Apoptosis
Document Summary
One cell divides into two through a process known as cell division. When a parent cell divides, the two daughter cells are genetically identical (or nearly so) to the parent cell. In multicellular organisms like humans, cell division enables growth and the replacement of worn-out or damaged cells. Cells may divide to repair injury, as when skin cells grow over a wound or a broken bone knits. Dividing cells in animal embryos, known as stem cells, produce all the specialized cells of the body. Cells divide through one of several methods. Prokaryotes reproduce through binary fission, whereas eukaryotic cells divide through either mitosis or meiosis. During binary fission, bacteria replicate their genetic material (usually a single chromosome-like structure) and grow to a certain size before splitting into two daughter cells. Mitosis is the process in eukaryotes of producing exact copies of the parent cell"s chromosomes and segregating them into separate nuclei, followed by cytokinesis to produce two daughter cells.
