Anaphase: The Critical Stage of Eukaryotic Cell Division

Cell in Anaphase

Cell growth

Anaphase is the third stage of mitosis, which is a process of cell division in eukaryotic cells that results in the formation of two daughter cells identical to the parent cell. During anaphase, sister chromatids, which are the duplicated chromosomes, separate and move towards opposite poles of the cell. This is possible due to the pulling action of spindle fibers, which are protein structures that attach to the kinetochores, which are protein structures located at the centromeres of sister chromatids.

The cell in anaphase is characterized by a distinct change in the appearance of chromosomes. The sister chromatids separate and become visible as individual chromosomes due to the pulling action of spindle fibers. These chromosomes move towards opposite poles of the cell, forming two sets of chromosomes. The spindle fibers attached to the kinetochores become shorter, and the poles of the cell move farther apart. This results in the elongation of the cell.

During anaphase, several events occur simultaneously in the cell. The contractile ring at the equator of the cell begins to tighten, preparing for the final stage of cell division, cytokinesis. The nucleolus disappears, and the nuclear envelope reforms around the newly formed daughter nuclei. The spindle fibers continue to pull the chromosomes towards the poles of the cell. As the chromosomes reach the poles, the spindle fibers attached to them dissociate, and the cell enters the final stage of mitosis, telophase. In summary, the cell in anaphase is actively dividing and undergoing changes to form two identical daughter cells.

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