Textbook Question
What evidence suggests that during anaphase, kinetochore microtubules shorten at the kinetochore?
Ch. 12 - The Cell Cycle
Freeman8th EditionBiological ScienceISBN: 9780138276263
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - Biology: The Study of Life13
- Ch. 2 - Water and Carbon: The Chemical Basis of Life14
- Ch.3 - Protein Structure and Function10
- Ch.4 - Nucleic Acids and the RNA World10
- Ch. 5 - An Introduction to Carbohydrates10
- Ch. 6 - Lipids, Membranes, and the First Cells11
- Ch. 7 - Inside the Cell10
- Ch. 8 - Energy and Enzymes: An Introduction to Metabolism10
- Ch. 9 - Cellular Respiration and Fermentation11
- Ch. 10 - Photosynthesis12
- Ch. 11 - Cell-Cell Interactions12
- Ch. 12 - The Cell Cycle8
- Ch. 13 - Meiosis12
- Ch. 14 - Mendel and the Gene23
- Ch. 15 - DNA and the Gene: Synthesis and Repair15
- Ch. 16 - How Genes Work16
- Ch. 17 - Transcription, RNA Processing, and Translation16
- Ch. 18 - Control of Gene Expression in Bacteria16
- Ch. 19 - Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes12
- Ch. 20 - The Molecular Revolution: Biotechnology, Genomics, and New Frontiers15
- Ch. 21 - Genes, Development, and Evolution12
- Ch. 22 - Evolution by Natural Selection16
- Ch. 23 - Evolutionary Processes13
- Ch. 24 - Speciation15
- Ch. 25 - Phylogenies and the History of Life13
- Ch. 26 - Bacteria and Archaea15
- Ch. 27 - Diversification of Eukaryotes16
- Ch. 28 - Green Algae and Land Plants16
- Ch. 29 - Fungi18
- Ch. 30 - An Introduction to Animals9
- Ch. 31 - Protostome Animals15
- Ch. 32 - Deuterostome Animals17
- Ch. 33 - Viruses16
- Ch. 34 - Plant Form and Function16
- Ch. 35 - Water and Sugar Transport in Plants16
- Ch. 36 - Plant Nutrition13
- Ch. 37 - Plant Sensory Systems, Signals, and Responses16
- Ch. 38 - Flowering Plant Reproduction and Development16
- Ch. 39 - Animal Form and Function17
- Ch. 40 - Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals16
- Ch. 41 - Animal Nutrition16
- Ch. 42 - Gas Exchange and Circulation16
- Ch. 43 - Animal Nervous Systems16
- Ch. 44 - Animal Sensory Systems16
- Ch. 45 - Animal Movement11
- Ch. 46 - Chemical Signals in Animals16
- Ch. 47 - Animal Reproduction and Development16
- Ch. 48 - The Immune System in Animals16
- Ch. 49 - An Introduction to Ecology15
- Ch. 50 - Behavioral Ecology16
- Ch. 51 - Population Ecology16
- Ch. 52 - Community Ecology20
- Ch. 53 - Ecosystems and Global Ecology17
- Ch. 54 - Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology18
Chapter 12, Problem 10
When a fruit fly embryo first begins to develop, a large cell is generated that contains over 8000 genetically identical nuclei. What is most likely responsible for this result?
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the context: The problem describes the early development of a fruit fly embryo, where a single large cell contains over 8000 genetically identical nuclei. This suggests rapid nuclear division without cell division, a process known as syncytial division.
Recall the concept of mitosis: Mitosis is the process by which a cell divides its nucleus to produce two genetically identical nuclei. In this case, mitosis occurs repeatedly without cytokinesis (the physical division of the cell).
Identify the mechanism: Syncytial division involves multiple rounds of nuclear division within a shared cytoplasm. This allows the nuclei to remain genetically identical because they are derived from the same original nucleus through mitosis.
Consider the role of the cell cycle: During syncytial division, the cell cycle progresses through the stages of mitosis (prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase) but skips cytokinesis, resulting in a single cell with many nuclei.
Relate this to embryonic development: In fruit fly embryos, syncytial division is an efficient way to rapidly produce many nuclei, which later become partitioned into individual cells during cellularization, supporting the development of the organism.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Nuclear Division
Nuclear division, specifically mitosis, is the process by which a cell divides its nucleus and genetic material. In the case of the fruit fly embryo, multiple rounds of mitosis occur without cytokinesis, leading to a syncytium—a single cell with multiple nuclei. This allows for rapid cell division and the formation of a large cell containing genetically identical nuclei.
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Importance of Cell Division
Syncytium Formation
Syncytium formation occurs when multiple nuclei share a common cytoplasm without the separation of the cell membrane. In fruit fly embryos, this process is crucial during early development, as it enables the rapid accumulation of nuclei in a single cell, facilitating efficient resource allocation and developmental signaling before individual cell membranes form.
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Genetic Identity in Embryonic Development
During early embryonic development, cells often undergo divisions that maintain genetic identity, meaning that all nuclei produced are genetically identical to the original zygote. This genetic uniformity is essential for coordinated development, as it ensures that all cells in the syncytium share the same genetic instructions, which is vital for proper embryonic patterning and differentiation later in development.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Compare and contrast the effects of removing growth factors from asynchronous cultures of human cells that are normal and those that are cancerous.
Textbook Question
A particular cell type spends 4 hours in G1 phase, 2 hours in S-phase, 2 hours in G2 phase, and 30 minutes in M-phase. If a pulse-chase experiment were performed with radioactive thymidine on an asynchronous culture of such cells, what percentage of mitotic cells would be radiolabeled 9 hours after the pulse?
a. 0 percent
b. 50 percent
c. 75 percent
d. 100 percent