The Cell Cycle and Mitosis

• Mitosis is a form of cell division which produces daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell
• Mitosis is essential for

  • An organism to grow
  • Cells to be replaced when they are damaged
  • Asexual reproduction (reproduction which only involves one organism e.g. bacteria, amoeba )
• The cell cycle is when the cells of the body divide to produce more cells, to allow the body to grow and replace damaged cells
• Three stages of the cell cycle:

  • Interphase
  • Mitosis
  • Cytokinesis
• Interphase


  1. In the nucleus, DNA duplicates to form two copies of each chromosome
  2. The two identical strands of DNA join together in an x shape
  3. The cell grows and the number of subcellular structures increases
• Mitosis


  1. The two strands of DNA form x shaped chromosomes, each arm being identical
  2. Chromosomes line up at the centre of the cell and cell fibres pull them apart
  3. Membranes form around both set of chromosomes, forming the nuclei of the two cells
• Cytokinesis


  After mitosis, the cytoplasm and cell membrane divide to form two identical daughter cells
• Mitosis is when a cell reproduces itself by splitting to form two identical offspring