preview

Mitosis Research Paper

Good Essays

Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells that are identical and each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, which is typical of ordinary tissue growth. Each daughter cell also carries identical DNA of the parent cell. Errors in mitosis can result when there is an incorrect DNA copy called aneuploidy. The effect of errors on the health of the cell ranges from benign to cancerous, depending on the amount and type of errors. All cancer types are traced back to harmful mutations multiplied by mitosis.
There are four stages of mitosis: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. In prophase the chromatin shrinks into separate chromosomes, and the nuclear envelope breaks down and forms …show more content…

This is when cells in a person have a mutant version of a gene when others are normal. If the genotype spreads it can lead to diseases like hemophilia and Marfan syndrome or unnaturally long limbs. Mitosis can affect organelles, which is a specialized part of a cell having a specific function. If any organelles are affected and damaged in any sort of way during the process of mitosis the organelles have a chance to recover during cell division, but if there is no stop in cell division organelles do not get a chance to recover which leads to cell death. Errors in mitosis usually occur in during metaphase. If the chromosomes do not pair the right way at the metaphase plate they will not separate to each pole properly during anaphase. When this happens one cell ends up having two copes of the chromosome leaving the other with none. Again, this may cause fatal damage such as …show more content…

Scientists from George Washington University medical center have found a missing link in mitosis that brings hope for cancer researchers. They have found a protein known as Arpc 1b that is an activator for an enzyme called Aurora A that is important in early stages of cellular reproduction. Cells divide and separate poles to create new cells. If all goes well two new cells are produced, but in some cases the protein is over used, and abnormal cells are produced which lead to cancer. Pharmaceutical industries are targeting Aurora A and trying to prevent it. This is the next step to help scientists find a way to stop the activity of Arpc in cancer cells. As an example, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. They are among the worlds leading biotech companies, with multiple products on the market and a promising development pipeline. At Genentech, James Sabry, M.D., Ph.D. who is the Vice President, said, “If we understand basic science, our drugs make it to market. If we don’t, the company dies.” Roche, Genentech’s parent company, spends more on research and development than any country in the world ($9.5 billion annually). Understanding cell development and cell division help the

Get Access