I am a Licensed Practical Nurse with five years' experience in this profession. I believe it is essential to go back to the basics in all things in order to really understand them. I am fascinated by how our bodies work and I hope I can get my readers to share my fascination. I hope we all learn new things and marvel again at the things we already know. This feature -- which includes a closing section on how disease affects the topic in question -- will run on The Cancer Blog on Wednesdays, and The Cardio Blog and The Diabetes Blog on Thursdays. [The contents in this post are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional medical care.]
We start with the cell, because so much of what happens to us when we get sick, and how we get healthy again, can be explained by what happens on a cellular level. The cell is extremely complex and I will only touch on the basics in these posts, but at least we can have a rudimentary understanding.
We have discussed cell membranes (May 23), as well as cell organelles (May 30). On June 6, we discussed the cellular transport mechanisms and on June 13 the cell nucleus. As we near the end of this series on the cell, we get to one of the most interesting parts: cell division.
One of the features of a cell is it's ability to reproduce independently. In somatic cell division, a cell undergoes a nuclear division called mitosis. Reproductive cell division is the mechanism that produces gametes. This process consists of a two step division called meiosis.
In this post we will look at the process of mitosis. Each of us began life as one cell, a fertilized egg. Each of us now consists of billions of cells produced by the process of mitosis. In mitosis one cell with the diploid number of chromosomes (46, except in chromosomal abnormalities) divides into two identical daughter cells, each with the diploid number of chromosomes. Mitosis is a continuous process compromised of a series of events. This series of events are divided into different stages called: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase and cytokinesis. Prior to these events interphase occurs, which is divided into 3 phases of its own.
We start with the cell, because so much of what happens to us when we get sick, and how we get healthy again, can be explained by what happens on a cellular level. The cell is extremely complex and I will only touch on the basics in these posts, but at least we can have a rudimentary understanding.
We have discussed cell membranes (May 23), as well as cell organelles (May 30). On June 6, we discussed the cellular transport mechanisms and on June 13 the cell nucleus. As we near the end of this series on the cell, we get to one of the most interesting parts: cell division.
One of the features of a cell is it's ability to reproduce independently. In somatic cell division, a cell undergoes a nuclear division called mitosis. Reproductive cell division is the mechanism that produces gametes. This process consists of a two step division called meiosis. In this post we will look at the process of mitosis. Each of us began life as one cell, a fertilized egg. Each of us now consists of billions of cells produced by the process of mitosis. In mitosis one cell with the diploid number of chromosomes (46, except in chromosomal abnormalities) divides into two identical daughter cells, each with the diploid number of chromosomes. Mitosis is a continuous process compromised of a series of events. This series of events are divided into different stages called: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase and cytokinesis. Prior to these events interphase occurs, which is divided into 3 phases of its own.
