The Cell Cycle

This week in AP Biology we talked about the cell cycle. The cell cycle is the life of a cell from the time it is first formed from a dividing parent cell until its own division into two cells. Without the cell cycle, our body would not be able to function how it does. Such as when you get a cut, it eventually heals because of mitosis.There are seven phases in the cell cycle. G1, Interphase, S, G2, Mitosis, M, and Cytokinesis. Each phase has a different job. In G1 the cell grows while carrying out cell functions unique to its cell type. In S phase the cell continues to carry put its unique functions. it also duplicates its chromosomes. The G2 phase is just the gap after the chromosomes have been duplicated and just before mitosis. Mitosis is a type of cell division that generates new cells for growth and repair. Cytokinesis is the division of the cell's cytoplasm. In the M phase, cell division occurs for a short amount of time the contents of the nucleus are evenly distributed to two daughter nuclei, and the cytoplasm divides in two. The other phases are Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase. In Prophase the chromatin becomes more tightly coiled into discrete chromosomes. In Metapahse, The microtubules move the chromosomes to the metaphase plate at the equator of the cell. In Anaphase, Sister chromatids begin to seperate, pulled apart by motor molecules interacting with kinetochore microtubules. In Telophase the nuclear envelopes re-form around the sets of chromosomes located at opposite ends of the cell. The cell cycle is a very important process to humans and animals. Without it, our body will not be or act how it does now.