Cytokinesis
Cytokinesis is the physical process of cytoplasmic division that follows telophase and separates the two daughter nuclei into two distinct cells. In animal cells, a contractile ring of actin and myosin filaments forms a cleavage furrow that pinches inward until the cell splits. In plant cells, a cell plate grows outward from the center of the cell toward the plasma membrane, eventually forming a new cell wall between the two daughter cells.
Cytokinesis in Animal Cells vs Plant Cells
| Feature | Animal Cell | Plant Cell |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Cleavage furrow | Cell plate formation |
| Structures involved | Actin-myosin contractile ring | Vesicles from Golgi apparatus |
| Direction of division | Outside in (ingression) | Inside out (centrifugal) |
| New boundary | Plasma membrane | Cell wall + plasma membrane |
| Centriole role | Involved in cleavage plane | Not present |
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Related Terms
Telophase
Telophase is the final stage of nuclear division in which two sets of chromosomes arrive at opposite poles of the cell and nuclear envelopes reform around each set. Chromosomes begin to decondense back into chromatin, the spindle apparatus disassembles, and nucleoli reappear in the new nuclei. Telophase is immediately followed by cytokinesis, which divides the cytoplasm to complete the formation of two daughter cells.
Mitosis
Mitosis is the process of nuclear division in eukaryotic cells that produces two genetically identical daughter nuclei, each containing the same chromosome number as the parent cell. It is the primary mechanism of growth, tissue repair, and asexual reproduction in multicellular organisms. Mitosis proceeds through four sequential stages — prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase — before the cytoplasm divides in cytokinesis.
Interphase
Interphase is the longest phase of the cell cycle, during which the cell grows, replicates its DNA, and prepares for division. It is divided into three subphases: G1 (first gap), in which the cell grows and synthesizes proteins; S phase (synthesis), in which DNA replication occurs; and G2 (second gap), in which the cell continues to grow and prepares the machinery for mitosis. Despite appearing inactive under a microscope, interphase is metabolically the most active period of a cell's life.
From Greek "kytos" meaning hollow vessel (cell) and "kinesis" meaning movement or division; the term reflects the division of the cellular body itself.