AP Bio U4 + Mitosis/Meiosis

paracrine signaling

is a form of cellular communication where a cell produces a signal to induce changes in nearby cells, affecting their behavior.

endocrine signaling

a form of cell communication where hormones are released into the bloodstream, affecting distant target cells.

autocrine signaling

A form of cell signaling where a cell secretes a signal that binds to receptors on its own surface, influencing its own behavior.

direct/juxtacrine signaling

A type of cell signaling where cells communicate through direct contact, usually via membrane-bound signals, enabling immediate and localized responses.

sister chromatids

Identical copies of a single chromosome, joined at the centromere, that are separated during cell division.

G₁ phase

The first stage of interphase in the cell cycle, where the cell grows, synthesizes proteins, and prepares for DNA replication.

S phase

The part of the cell cycle where DNA is replicated, resulting in two identical copies of each chromosome before cell division.

G₂ phase

The second stage of interphase in the cell cycle, where the cell continues to grow, produces proteins, and prepares for mitosis or meiosis.

karyokinesis

The process of nuclear division during mitosis or meiosis, resulting in the separation of sister chromatids into two daughter nuclei.

cytokinesis

The final stage of cell division where the cytoplasm divides, resulting in two separate daughter cells.

prophase

The first stage of mitosis and meiosis, during which chromosomes condense, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and the mitotic spindle begins to form.

prometaphase

The stage of mitosis following prophase, during which the nuclear envelope completely dissolves, and the spindle fibers attach to the kinetochores of the chromosomes.

metaphase

The stage of mitosis where chromosomes align at the cell's equatorial plane, ensuring that each daughter cell will receive an identical set of chromosomes.

anaphase

The stage of mitosis that follows metaphase, during which sister chromatids are pulled apart to opposite poles of the cell by the spindle fibers.

telophase

The final stage of mitosis, during which the chromosomes begin to de-condense, the nuclear envelope re-forms around each set of chromosomes, and the cell prepares to divide.

cleavage furrow

A constriction that forms in the cell membrane during cytokinesis in animal cells, leading to the separation of the daughter cells.