The cell cycle

The cell cycle is the sequence of events that occurs between one cell division and the next. It consists of three main stages:

1. During interphase,the cell grows, carries out its functions, and replicates its DNA. After the DNA is replicated, new protein becomes attached to it. The chromosome now consists of two strands called sister chromatids which contain identical genetic information.Sister chromatids are joined at some point along their length by a centromere. These become visible under the light microscope only during mitosis. Typically, interphase lasts for about 90 per cent of the cell cycle.

2. Nuclear division takes place during mitosis. The chromatids containing replicated DNA are separated from each other and are redistributed as chromosomes in the nuclei of the two new daughter cells.

3. In cell division(also called cytokinesis) the cytoplasm divides to form two daughter cells.

The duration of the cell cycle varies according to conditions such as temperature and the type of cell. The cell cycle of some plant cells (for example, stamen cells of Tradescantia) takes less than 30 minutes at 45°C, but more than two hours at 10°C. Cells in the growing root tip of an onion divide every 22 hours at 20°C. Some cells such as human nerve cells do not divide at all once they have become specialized.