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A-level Biology - 3.2.10 Cells Divide by Binary Fission and Mitosis

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The cell cycle is the sequence of events that a cell goes through to grow and divide, including interphase (growth and DNA replication) and mitosis (cell division).

Cells that keep their ability to divide follow the ____ ____

cell cycle

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Key Terms

Term
Definition

Cells that keep their ability to divide follow the ____ ____

cell cycle

What is interphase?

Period of cell growth and DNA replication

Name the 2 phases that the cell cycle consists of

Interphase

Mitosis

Name the 3 growth stages that interphase is subdivided into

Gap phase 1

Synthesis

Gap phase 2

Where does the cell cycle start and end?

At mitosis

Draw the cell cycle

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TermDefinition

Cells that keep their ability to divide follow the ____ ____

cell cycle

What is interphase?

Period of cell growth and DNA replication

Name the 2 phases that the cell cycle consists of

Interphase

Mitosis

Name the 3 growth stages that interphase is subdivided into

Gap phase 1

Synthesis

Gap phase 2

Where does the cell cycle start and end?

At mitosis

Draw the cell cycle

What happens in gap phase 1?

Cells grows and new organelles and proteins are made

What happens in synthesis?

Cell replicates its DNA, ready to divide by mitosis

What happens in gap phase 2?

Cell keeps growing and proteins needed for cell division are made

What is mitosis?

When a parent cell divides to produce 2 genetically identical daughter cells

(Contain exact copy of DNA of parent cell)

Why is mitosis needed?

For growth of multicellular organisms and repairing damaged tissues

Describe what occurs before mitosis, during interphase

Caries out its normal functions but prepares to divide

DNA unravels and replicates, organelles are replicated

ATP content increased

Name the 4 main stages in mitosis

Prophase

Metaphase

Anaphase

Telophase

As mitosis begins why are chromosomes made of 2 strands (chromatids) joined by a centromere?

∵ each chromosome has already made an identical copy of itself during interphase

When mitosis is over, what do the chromatids end up as?

One-strand chromosomes in the daughter cells

Describe Prophase

Chromosomes condense and super coil & become visible

Centrioles (tiny bundles of protein) move towards opposite end of cell, forming the spindle (network of protein fibres)

Nuclear envelope breaks down allows chromosomes to move

Describe Metaphase

Chromosomes line up along centre of cell

Become attached to the spindle by their centromere

Describe Anaphase

Centromeres divide, separating each pair of sister chromatids

Spindles contract, pull chromatids to opposite poles of the spindle, centromere first (are separated)

Makes chromatids appear v-shaped

Describe Telophase

Chromatids reach opposite poles on spindle

They uncoil & become long and thin again = chromosomes

Nuclear envelope reforms preventing chromosomes moving away

Cytoplasm divides (cytokinesis) so they’re now two daughter cells that are genetically identical to original cell

(Each daughter cells starts interphase)

Describe how you use root tips to observe mitosis

Cut 1 cm from tip of growing root (e.g. onion)

Hydrochloric acid in boiling tube, put in water bath at 60°C

Transfer root tip into boiling tube & leave for 5 mins

Use pipette to rinse root tip with cold water

Leave tip to dry on paper towel

Place root tip on microscopic slide & cut 2 mm from very tip of it

Discard the rest

Use mounted needle to break tip open and spread cells thinly

Add few drops of stain and leave it for few minutes

Place cover slip over cells and push down firmly to squash tissue

Look at all stages of mitosis under optical microscope

Investigating Mitosis

Why do you have cut the from the tip of a growing root?

Has to be tip ∵ it’s where growth occurs (i.e. mitosis)

Investigating Mitosis

Why do you have add stain to the sample?

Stain makes it easier for chromosomes to be seen

Investigating Mitosis

Why do you squash the tissue (by pushing down the cover slip firmly over the cells)?

This makes tissue thinner = allows light to pass through it

Investigating Mitosis

Why shouldn’t you smear the cover slip sideways?

∵ you’ll damage the chromosomes

Label the stages of mitosis and interphase

Describe how you would use an optical microscope to observe cells

Clip prepared slide onto the stage

Select lowest-powered objective lens

Use coarse adjustment knob to bring stage up to just below objective lens

Look down eyepiece & use coarse adjustment knob to move stage downwards until image is roughly in focus

Adjust focus with fine adjustment knob until you get clear image of slide

If you need a greater magnification, swap to higher-powered objective lens and refocus

What is mitotic index?

Proportion of cells undergoing mitosis

Why do we work out the mitotic index?

To find out how quickly a tissue is growing

State the formula for the mitotic index

Why does a plant root tip have a high mitotic index (i.e. lots of cells in mitosis)?

∵ it's constantly growing

Why may other tissues have a high mitotic index?

∵ tissue repair is taking place or there's cancerous growth

What is an artefact?

Things that you can see down microscope that aren't part of cell or specimen you're looking at

e.g. bits of dust, air bubbles and fingerprints, to inaccuracies caused by squashing and staining your sample

When are artefacts made?

During preparation of your slides

What is binary fission?

When a prokaryotic cell replicates its genetic material before splitting into 2 daughter cells

Describe Binary Fission

Circular DNA and plasmid(s) replicate

Main DNA loop is replicated once but plasmids can be replicated loads of time

Cells get bigger and DNA loops move to opposite 'poles' (ends) of cell

Cytoplasm begins to divide (and new cell walls begin to form)

Cytoplasm divides and 2 daughter cells produced

Each daughter cells has 1 copy of variable DNA but can have variable no. of copies of plasmid(s)

What can occur during conjugation?

DNA may be passed from one species of bacterium to another (species)

"DNA may be passed from one species of bacterium to another (species) during conjugation"

What is this known as?

Horizontal gene transmission

What is vertical gene transmission?

When genes are passed down from one generation (of a species) to next generation (of same species)

Describe how DNA transfers by conjugation in bacteria

Conjugation is the process where DNA is transferred directly from one bacterial cell (the donor) to another (the recipient) through physical contact, typically via a sex pilus or conjugation pilus.