Four events are required for cell division: a reproductive signal, replication of the genetic material (DNA), segregation of replicated DNA, and separation of the two daughter cells (cytokinesis). Prokaryotes often have just one chromosome, and cell division can be rapid. Eukaryotes usually have multiple chromosomes, and the process of cell division is more intricate, involving either mitosis or meiosis.
learning outcomes
You should be able to:
Analyze and explain the steps found in all cell division processes and their sequence.
Describe the cell division process in prokaryotes.
Explain how the four events of cell division occur in eukaryotic cells.
Compare and contrast cell division in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
What commonly limits the reproduction of a prokaryotic cell by binary fission?
A common signal for the initiation of binary fission is adequate nutrients.
Why must DNA be replicated and segregated before the cell can divide?
If the cell divided before DNA was fully replicated, each new cell would not receive a full complement of the genetic material, DNA.
Why are DNA replication and cell division more complex in eukaryotes than in prokaryotes?
In eukaryotes there is more DNA, the DNA is in numerous molecules, the DNA molecules are much larger, and the DNA is located in a separate cell compartment, the nucleus.
What determines whether a eukaryotic cell will divide? How does mitosis lead to identical cells? In the sections that follow, we will describe the details of mitosis.