What are the stages of mitosis?

The stages of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, followed by cytokinesis.

Mitosis is a process of cell division that results in two genetically identical daughter cells. It is a crucial part of the cell cycle and is divided into four main stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Each stage has specific events that contribute to the successful division of the cell.

The first stage, prophase, is when the cell prepares for division. The chromosomes condense and become visible, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and the mitotic spindle, which is crucial for chromosome separation, begins to form.

Next is metaphase. During this stage, the chromosomes align at the metaphase plate, an imaginary line that is equidistant from the two spindle poles. The spindle fibres attach to the centromeres of each chromosome, preparing them for separation.

Anaphase follows metaphase. It is during this stage that the sister chromatids (the two identical halves of a duplicated chromosome) separate and are pulled towards opposite ends of the cell. This ensures that each new cell will receive one copy of each chromosome.

The final stage of mitosis is telophase. The separated chromosomes reach the opposite poles of the cell and begin to decondense. The nuclear envelope re-forms around each set of chromosomes, creating two separate nuclei within the cell.

Following these stages of mitosis, the cell undergoes cytokinesis. This is not technically a part of mitosis, but it is a crucial step in cell division. During cytokinesis, the cytoplasm of the cell is divided, creating two separate cells, each with a complete set of chromosomes.

Understanding these stages of mitosis is fundamental to understanding how cells divide and replicate, a key concept in biology.