Related topics: cells
Cell division
hideCell division is a process by which a cell, called the parent cell, divides into two or more cells, called daughter cells. Cell division is usually a small segment of a larger cell cycle. This type of cell division in eukaryotes is known as mitosis, and leaves the daughter cell capable of dividing again. The corresponding sort of cell division in prokaryotes is known as binary fission. In another type of cell division present only in eukaryotes, called meiosis, a cell is permanently transformed into a gamete and cannot divide again until fertilization. For simple unicellular organisms such as the amoeba, one cell division is equivalent to reproduction-- an entire new organism is created. On a larger scale, mitotic cell division can create progeny from multicellular organisms, such as plants that grow from cuttings. Cell division also enables sexually reproducing organisms to develop from the one-celled zygote, which itself was produced by cell division from gametes. And after growth, cell division allows for continual construction and repair of the organism. A human being's body experiences about 10,000 trillion cell divisions in a lifetime.
The primary concern of cell division is the maintenance of the original cell's genome. Before division can occur, the genomic information which is stored in chromosomes must be replicated, and the duplicated genome separated cleanly between cells. A great deal of cellular infrastructure is involved in keeping genomic information consistent between "generations".
For more information about Cell division, read the full article at
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News tagged with cell division
Long-term physical activity has an anti-aging effect at the cellular level
Nov 30, 2009 |
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Intensive exercise prevented shortening of telomeres, a protective effect against aging of the cardiovascular system, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
New international study targets rare cancer bringing hope for advanced thymic cancer patients
Dec 08, 2009 |
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Dec. 8, 2009 — The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare are testing a new drug specifically for thymic cancer based on early promising results at Scottsdale Healthcare.
Scientists deconstruct cell division
Biology /
Feb 08, 2009 |
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The last step of the cell cycle is the brief but spectacularly dynamic and complicated mitosis phase, which leads to the duplication of one mother cell into two daughter cells. In mitosis, the chromosomes ...
Researchers identify potential cancer target
Jan 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Dartmouth Medical School researchers have found two proteins that work in concert to ensure proper chromosome segregation during cell division. Their study is in the January 2009 issue of ...
Some mice stem cells divide in unexpected ways
Aug 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Using new genetic tools, Cornell researchers have found that some stem cells in mice behave dramatically different than in fruit flies, where most of the pioneering stem cell work has been ...
The ends of mRNAs may prevent the beginnings of cancer
Aug 20, 2009 |
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The tail ends of cellular protein templates, regions often thought relatively inconsequential, may actually play a role in preventing normal cells from becoming cancerous.
Math model accurately mimics cell division in carbon-cycling bacterium
Aug 14, 2009 |
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Scientists from the Department of Biological Sciences and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have developed a quantitative, mathematical model of DNA replication and cell division for the bacterium ...
Is this the beginning of the end of plant breeding?
Jun 09, 2009 |
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No human is a clone of their parents but the same cannot be said for other living things. While your DNA is a combination of half your mother and half your father, other species do things differently. The advantage of clonal ...
Motor proteins may be vehicles for drug delivery
Mar 20, 2009 |
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Specialized motor proteins that transport cargo within cells could be turned into nanoscale machines for drug delivery, according to bioengineers. Chemical alteration of the proteins' function could also help inhibit the ...
Protein that triggers plant cell division
Jun 11, 2009 |
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From the valves in a human heart to the quills on a porcupine to the petals on a summer lily, the living world is as varied as it is vast. For this to be possible, the cells that make up these living things must be just as ...
Scientists discover link between control of chromosome duplication and segregation
Feb 05, 2009 |
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Before a cell can divide into two, first it must duplicate its genetic material--the DNA packed in its chromosomes. The two new sets of chromosomes then have to be separated from one another and correctly distributed to the ...
Key to 'curing' obesity may lie in worms that destroy their own fat
Biology /
Dec 08, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A previously unknown mutation discovered in a common roundworm holds the promise of new treatments for obesity in humans, McGill University researchers say. Their study was published Dec. ...
Researchers gain new insight on wonder of cell division
Biology /
Dec 04, 2008 |
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Biologists have discovered a mechanism that is critical to cytokinesis -- nature's completion of mitosis, where a cell divides into two identical daughter cells.
MIT engineers show how tiny cell proteins generate force to 'walk'
Biology /
Nov 24, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT researchers have shown how a cell motor protein exerts the force to move, enabling functions such as cell division.
Med school discovery could lead to better cancer diagnosis, drugs
Nov 21, 2008 |
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A Florida State University College of Medicine research team led by Yanchang Wang has discovered an important new layer of regulation in the cell division cycle, which could lead to a greater understanding of the way cancer ...
