MITOSIS, CYTOKINESIS, MEIOSIS AND APOPTOSIS Michelle Gehringer Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa Keywords: Cell cycle, checkpoints, growth factors, mitosis, meiosis, cyclin, cyclin dependent protein kinases, G1 phase, S phase, spindle, prophase, anaphase, metaphase,
Summary: At the end of meiosis, 4 daughter cells are formed = eggs or sperm. Each contains half as many chromosomes as the parent cell (n); each cell is genetically different from its parents and from its siblings. Fertilization of an egg by a sperm restores the chromosome number to 2n.
When cell division begins, the cells enter into either mitotic or meiotic phases. In mitosis, the end product is two cells: the original parent cell and a new, genetically identical daughter cell. Meiosis is more complex and goes through additional phases to create four genetically different haploid cells which then have the potential to combine and form a new, genetically diverse diploid offspring.