Introduction Cell division has fascinated cell biologists for more than a hundred years. Among many good reasons for this fascination is that mitosis and cytokinesis are beautiful to watch: M phase undoubtedly represents the most dramatic phase of the entire cell cycle, and most cellular structures undergo profound reorganizations. In all eukaryotic organisms, including fungi, plants and animals, a microtubule (MT)-based spindle apparatus is assembled and used for chromosome segregation. Similarly, cytokinesis results from …showed first 75 words of 544 total…

…showed last 75 words of 544 total…congress to an equatorial plane, the metaphase plate. Throughout metaphase, chromosomes oscillate about a central position in the equatorial plane, indicating that they are under tension due to a balance of forces. Anaphase onset occurs in response to a global, as yet poorly understood signal. It is marked by the simultaneous separation of all sister chromatids and thought to result from a loss of sister chromatid cohesion, rather than an increase in poleward moving forces.