What is the significance of anaphase during mitosis

Each chromosome is composed of two sister chromatids, containing identical genetic information. The chromosomes pair up so that both copies of chromosome 1 are together, both copies of chromosome 2 are together, and so on.

At the end of prophase the membrane around the nucleus in the cell dissolves away releasing the chromosomes. The mitotic spindle, consisting of the microtubules and other proteins, extends across the cell between the centrioles as they move to opposite poles of the cell.

Metaphase: The chromosomes line up neatly end-to-end along the centre equator of the cell. The centrioles are now at opposite poles of the cell with the mitotic spindle fibres extending from them.

The mitotic spindle fibres attach to each of the sister chromatids. Anaphase: The sister chromatids are then pulled apart by the mitotic spindle which pulls one chromatid to one pole and the other chromatid to the opposite pole.

Telophase: At each pole of the cell a full set of chromosomes gather together. A membrane forms around each set of chromosomes to create two new nuclei. The single cell then pinches in the middle to form two separate daughter cells each containing a full set of chromosomes within a nucleus. This process is known as cytokinesis. Related Content:.

What is a stem cell? What is a cell? What is DNA? What is a chromosome? What is a genetic disorder? This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Mitosis is a process of nuclear division in eukaryotic cells that occurs when a parent cell divides to produce two identical daughter cells.

During cell division, mitosis refers specifically to the separation of the duplicated genetic material carried in the nucleus. Mitosis is conventionally divided into five stages known as prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. While mitosis is taking place, there is no cell growth and all of the cellular energy is focused on cell division.

During prophase, the replicated pairs of chromosomes condense and compact themselves. The pairs of chromosomes that have been replicated are called sister chromatids, and they remain joined at a central point called the centromere. A large structure called the mitotic spindle also forms from long proteins called microtubules on each side, or pole, of the cell. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Anaphase is the fourth phase of mitosis, the process that separates the duplicated genetic material carried in the nucleus of a parent cell into two identical daughter cells.

Before anaphase begins, the replicated chromosomes, called sister chromatids, are aligned at along the equator of the cell on the equatorial plane. The sister chromatids are pairs of identical copies of DNA joined at a point called the centromere.

During anaphase, each pair of chromosomes is separated into two identical, independent chromosomes. The chromosomes are separated by a structure called the mitotic spindle.