Cell cycle

The cell cycle is an ordered series of events involving cell growth and cell division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells.

1. Overview of the Cell Cycle

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|                        CELL CYCLE                           |
|                                                             |
|  +-------------------------------------------------------+  |
|  |                      INTERPHASE                       |  |
|  |  [ G1 Phase ]  --->   [ S Phase ]  --->  [ G2 Phase ] |  |
|  |  (Cell Growth)      (DNA Synthesis)     (Prep for M)  |  |
|  +---------------------------+---------------------------+  |
|                              |                              |
|                              v                              |
|  +-------------------------------------------------------+  |
|  |                       M PHASE                         |  |
|  |   [ Mitosis ]  ------------------->  [ Cytokinesis ]  |  |
|  |   (Prophase -> Metaphase ->          (Division of     |  |
|  |    Anaphase -> Telophase)             Cytoplasm)      |  |
|  +-------------------------------------------------------+  |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

2. Interphase

Interphase is the non-dividing phase where the cell spends approximately $90\%$ of its lifecycle preparing for cell division.

1. $G_1$ Phase (First Gap)

   • Description: Rapid cell growth and normal metabolic operations.

   • Key Events: Duplication of organelles, protein synthesis, and volume increase.

2. $S$ Phase (Synthesis)

   • Description: Replication of genetic material.

   • Key Events: DNA replicates, resulting in duplicate chromosomes (sister chromatids attached at centromere).

3. **$G_2$ Phase (Second Gap