CH 9: cell division and mitosis

cancer

a disease of unregulated cell division: cells divide inappropriately and accumulate, in some instance forming a tumor

chemotherapy

the treatment of disease, specifically cancer, by the use of chemicals

cell division

the process by which a cell reproduce itself; cell division is important for normal growth, development, and repair of an organism

cell cycle

the ordered sequence of stages that a cell progresses through in order to divide during its life; stages include preparatory phases (G1, S, G2) and division phase (mitosis and cytokinesis) 

interphase

the stage of the cell cycle in which cells spend most of their time, preparing for cell division. There are three distinct sub-phases: G1, S, G2

Mitosis

the segregation and separation of duplicated chromosomes during cell division

cytokinesis

the physical division of a cell into two daughter cells 

sister chromatids

the two identical DNA molecules that make up a duplicated chromosome following DNA replication

centromere

the specialized region of a chromosome where the sister chromatids are joined; critical for proper alignment and separation of sister chromatids during mitosis

microtubules 

hollow protein fibers that are key components of cytoskeleton and make up the fibers of the mitotic space

mitotic space

the structure that separates sister chromatids during mitosis

kinetochore 

proteins located at the centromere that provide an attachment point for microtubules of the mitotic spindle 

mutation

a change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA

cell cycle checkpoint

a cellular mechanism that ensures that each stage of the cell cycle is completed accurately 

apoptosis

programed cell death; often referred to as cellular suicide

tumor

a mass of cells resulting from uncontrolled cell division

metastasis 

the spread of cancer cells from one location in the body to another 

radiation therapy

the use of ionizing (high-energy) radiation to treat cancer