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Cellular Reproduction: The Awesomeness of Mitosis Review of the making of a cell Jedidiah Brandon Northwest Arkansas Community College

Prepared for Honors Composition I, taught by Professor Jacqueline Jones

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Abstract How are we who we are? How do our bodies grow or repair itself? These questions have been on the tongues of many great minds throughout the centuries. Only within the recent decades, through advancements in technologies and research, have we begun to understand the processes involved in these acts that our cell bodies perform on a daily basis. In this paper, you will obtain a better understanding of the cell and how it uses amazing processes to replicate itself to a nearly perfect mirror image as to continue rebuilding everything living on the planet. I will take you through the different stages of Mitosis, explaining how they take place and what responsibility each stage has as well as a background of how the discoveries in this field were made. We will also explore the advances that this science has taken since its discovery by Walter Flemming in the late 19th century. To go from seeing nothing but dots and ribbons, swirling and replicating under a microscope, centuries ago, must have been an amazing experience. With todays amazing understanding of DNA(Deoxyribonucleic acid), and RNA(Ribonucleic acid), We now know the tools and processes that occur to make Mitosis possible, which I find to be much more of an amazing experience.

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Cellular Reproduction: The Miracle of Mitosis Meet and Greet with a Cell A very common and accurate way to describe a cell is that it is a factory. A factory that is operating every day, all day long, with no breaks, holidays, nor overtime. The first time a cell was documented being observed was by British scientist, Robert Hooke who in 1665, was studying a slice of cork under a compound microscope.(see fig.1) The ordered plant cells reminded him of the separated rooms in the monastery so he coined the term, cell coming from the Latin word, cella, meaning storeroom.(Hiremath, M.)

(fig.1)Corkwood cell. Edward Kinsmen/sceincephotolibrary

One thing that a factory doesnt have in common with a cell is the fact that a cell is living. It breaths air, consumes water and nutrients as well as reproduces. Plant cells and animal cells are different in many ways but contain some of the same essential parts, such as the Nucleus.

( (fig.2) the cell nucleus. Frank D. Smith Jr

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The Nucleus is composed of different parts that are suspended in a medium called Nucleoplasm. These parts consist of a Nucleolus, Linier Chromosomes made of negatively charged DNA associated with positively charged proteins called Histones to form structures called Nucleosomes. The Nucleosomes are part of what is called Chromatin, the DNA and proteins that make up Chromosomes. The Stages of Mitosis: Interphase

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(fig.3) Interphase stage. Ryan Williams

DNA and Chromosomes are important in passing the information needed to replicate the cell and insure that the daughter cell is identical to its parent cell. Interphase is sometimes not considered as one of the stages of Mitosis, but I found it important to mention because in Interphase, the cell would seem inactive but would actually be going through the process of breaking down and replicating the DNA for preparation of separation. The Stages of Mitosis: Prophase

(fig.4) Prophase stage. Ryan Williams

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In Prophase, the Chromatin condenses in the nucleus until the chromosomes and their individual chromatids are visible. The membrane of the nucleus dissolves and disappears and tubularstructures called Centrioles migrate to opposite poles and dispense micro hair-like spindles that attach to the ends of the two chromatids that make up the chromosomes. This stage starts to show the individual structures making up the DNA information that determines what the cells actual job is inside the organism. The Stages of Mitosis: Metaphase

(fig 5) Metaphase stage. Ryan Williams

This considerably short stage consists of two stages. The first stage is where the spindle fibers that the centrioles dispensed earlier attach at both sides of the chromatids and make up what is called the spindle apparatus. Then the chromatids are aligned in the center of the cell and are prepared for separation. The Stages of Mitosis: Anaphase

(fig. 6) Anaphase stage. Ryan Williams

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We have reached the climax of this even, where the nuclear separation actually takes place. Here, in the anaphase stage, the sister chromatids of the chromosomes split at the centromeres and are pulled to the opposite poles of the cells by the centrioles. Now that the chromatids have their own centromeres, they are now considered chromosomes. The Stages of Mitosis: Telophase

(Fig. 7) Telaphase stage. Ryan Williams

Now that we have separated the nucleus, it is time to start the second half of cell division. In telophase, The Nuclei start to form a nuclear membrane and become separate nucleuses. This stage begins the identity of two separate cells. Here is where you get a sense that reproduction is taking place. The Stages of Mitosis: Cytokinesis

(fig. 8) Cytokinesis stage. Ryan Williams

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In this final stage of Mitosis, The process of division is finalized and the cytoplasm separates forming two separate cells. This also a stage that is different between animals and plants. In animals, the cytoplasm is formed as in shown in fig.8. but in plants a cell wall in formed between the two nucleuses forming two separate cells. We have come full circle back to Interphase. From this point the cells will go through the exact process over and over dividing into millions of cells. In Conclusion, one can see how a cell can be compared to a factory, but most of all, one can see how a cell is a living part of every organism and how through the magnificent functions that each part of the cell has, it can make a perfect copy of itself and does on a continuous basis. As the organism gets older, the cell reproduction cycle slows down and the process of reproduction to occur less often until the death of the organism and the cycle comes to an end.

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References and works cited Photos and illustrations: Figure 1: Kinesmen, Edward. (2012) Corkwood cells. Photo. http://www.sciencephoto.com Figure 2: Smith. Frank D.(2010) The Cell Nucleus. Illustration. http://www.tony5m17h.net/EvesAdam.html Figure 3: Wlliams. Ryan. (2010) Interphase. Photo. http://students.cis.uab.edu/ryan10/Interphase.html Figure 4: Williams, Ryan. (2010) Prophase. Photo. http://students.cis.uab.edu/ryan10/TProphase.html Figure 5: Williams, Ryan. (2010) Metaphase. Photo. http://students.cis.uab.edu/ryan10/TMetaphase.html Figure 6: Williams. Ryan. (2010) Anaphase, Photo. http://students.cis.uab.edu/ryan10/TAnaphase.html Figure 7: Williams. Ryan (2010) Telaphase. Photo. http://students.cis.uab.edu/ryan10/TTeloCyto.html Figure 8: Williams, Ryan (2010) Cytokinesis. Photo http://students.cis.uab.edu/ryan10/TTeloCyto.html Works and references: Hiremath, M. nd. How were cells discovered? October 31st, 2012. www.access science.com Smith. Franks D. (2010) Eves and Adam - CoEvolution of mtDNA and Y-Chromosome DNA. October 31st, 2012. http://www.tony5m17h.net/EvesAdam.html Stein. Carter. (2010) Mitosis. October 31st, 2012. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/mitosis.htm

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