The Cel C cl

KEY CONCEPTS

12.1 Cell division results in genetically identicaldaughter cells

12.2 The mitotic phase alternates with interphase inthe cell cycle

12.3 The eukaryotic cell cycle is regulated by amolecular control system

The ability of organisms to reproduce their own kind isthe one characteristic that best distinguishes livingthings from nonliving matter. This unique capacity to

procreate, like all biological functions, has a cellular basis.Rudolf Yirchow, a German physician, put it this way in 1855:~Where a cell exists, there must have been a preexisting cell,

justas the animal arises only from an animal and the plant onlyfrom a plant.~ He summarized this concept with the Latinaxiom "Omnis cellula e cellula,~ meaning ~Every cell from a

100 JimI I

J. Figure 12.1 How do a cell's chromosomes changeduring cell division?

cell.n The continuity of life is based on the reproduction ofcells, or ceO division. The series of fluorescence micrographsin Figure 12.1 follows an animal cell's chromosomes, fromlower left to lower right, as one cell divides into two.

Cell division plays several important roles in the life ofan or~

ganism. When a unicellular organism, such as an amoeba, di­vides and forms duplicate offspring, the division of one cellreproduces an entire organism (Figure 12.2a). Cell division ona larger scale can produce progeny from some multicellular or·ganisms (such as plants that grow from cuttings). Cell divisionalso enables sexually reproducing organisms to develop from asingle cell-the fertilized egg, or zygote (Figure 12.2b). And af­ter an organism is fully grown, cell division continues to functionin renewal and repair, replacing cells that die from normal wearand tear or accidents. For example, dividing cells in your bonemarrow continuously make new blood cells (Figure 12.2c).

The cell division process is an integral part of the cell cycle,the life of a cell from the time it is first formed from a dividingparent cell until its own division into m'o cells. Passing identicalgenetic material to cellular offspring is a crucial function of cell

I 200 llm I

(a) Reproduction. An amoeba, a single-celledeukaryote, is dividing into two cells, Eachnew cell will be an individual organism (LM).

(b) Growth and development. This micrographshows a sand dollar embryo shortly after thefenilized egg divided, forming two cells (LM).

(c) Tissue renewal. These dividing bonemarrow cells (arrow) will give rise to newblood cells (LM),

J. Figure 12.2 The functions of cell division.

228

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division. In this chapter, you will learn how cell division distrib­utes identical genetic material to daughter cells.- After studyingthe cellular mechanics ofcell division in eukaryotes and bacteria,you will learn about the molecular control system that regulatesprogress through the eukaryotic cell cycle and what happenswhen the control system malfunctions. Because cell cycle regu­lation, or a lack thereof, plays a major role in cancer develop­ment, this aspect of cell biology is an active area of research.

r~::I~':~v7s~~' ~sults in geneticallyidentical daughter cells

The reproduction of an ensemble as complex as a cell cannotoccur by a mere pinching in half; a cell is not like a soap bubblethat simply enlarges and splits in two. Most cell division in­volves the distribution ofidentical genetic material-DNA-totv.'o daughter cells. (The special type of cell division that pro­duces sperm and eggs results in daughter cells that are not ge­netically identical.) What is most remarkable about celldivision is the fldelitywith which the DNA is passed along fromone generation ofcells to the next. A dividing cell duplicates itsDNA, allocates the two copies to opposite ends of the cell, andonly then splits into daughter cells.

Cellular Organization of the Genetic Material

A cell's endowment of DNA, its genetic information, is calledits genome. Although a prokaryotic genome is often a singlelong DNA molecule, eukaryotic genomes usually consist of anumber of DNA molecules. The overall length of DNA in aeukaryotic cell is enormous. A typical human cell, for exam­ple, has about 2 m of DNA-a length about 250,000 timesgreater than the cell's diameter. Yet before the cell can divideto form genetically identical daughter cells, all of this DNAmust be copied and then the two copies separated so that eachdaughter cell ends up with a complete genome.

The replication and distribution of so much DNA is man­ageable because the DNA molecules are packaged intochromosomes, so named because they take up certain dyesused in microscopy (from the Greek chroma, color, and soma,body) (Figure 12.3). Every eukaryotic species has a charac­teristic number of chromosomes in each cell nucleus. For ex­ample, the nuclei ofhuman somatic cells (all body cells exceptthe reproductive cells) each contain 46 chromosomes madeup of two sets of 23, one set inherited from each parent. Re­productive cells, or gametes-sperm and eggs-have half asmany chromosomes as somatic cells, or one set of23 chromo-

• Although the termsdallghtercelis alld sister chromatids {a term you will ell·COUllter later in the chapter) arc traditional and will be used throughout thisbook. the structures they rerer to have no gender.

A Figure 12.3 Eukaryotic chromosomes. Chromosomes(stained purple) are ~isible within the nucleus of this cell from anAfrican blood lily, The thinner red threads in the surrounding cytoplasmare the cytoskeleton, The cell is preparing to di~ide (LM),

somes in humans. The number of chromosomes in somaticcells varies widely among species: 18 in cabbage plants, 56 inelephants, 90 in hedgehogs, and 148 in one species of alga.

Eukaryotic chromosomes are made of chromatin, a com­plex of DNA and associated protein molecules. Each singlechromosome contains one very long, linear DNA moleculethat carries several hundred to a few thousand genes, the unitsthat specify an organism's inherited traits. The associated pro­teins maintain the structure ofthe chromosome and help con­trol the activity of the genes.

Distribution of Chromosomes DuringEukaryotic Cell Division

\Vhen a cell is not dividing, and even as it duplicates its DNA inpreparation for cell division, each chromosome is in the form ofalong, thin chromatin fiber. After DNA duplication, however, thechromosomes condense: Each chromatin fiber becomes denselycoiledand folded, making the chromosomes much shorterand sothick that we can see them with a light microscope.

Each duplicated chromosome has 1\.....0 sister chromatids.The two chromatids, each containing an identical DNA mole­cule, are initially attached all along their lengths by adhesiveprotein complexes called cohesinsi this attachment is known assisterchromatid cohesion. In its condensed form, the duplicatedchromosome has a narrow "wais( at the centromere, a spe­cialized region where the two chromatids are most closely at­tached. The partofa chromatid on either sideofthe centromereis referred to as an arm of the chromatid. Later in the cell divi­sion process, the two sister chromatids ofeach duplicated chro­mosome separate and move into two new nuclei, one formingat each end ofthe cell. Once the sister chromatids separate, theyare considered individual chromosomes. Thus, each new nu­cleus receives a collection of chromosomes identical to that of

CHAPTER TWELVE The Cell Cyde 229

... Figure 12A Chromosomed~licationand distributionduring cell division. Aeukaryotic cell preparing to divideduplicates each of its chromosomes.Next to each chromosome dril'Mngis a simplified double helixrepresenting each DNA molecule.(In an actual chromosome. eachDNA molecule would be bghtlyfolded and coiled. complexed withproteins,) The micrograph shcMts ahighly coodensed duplicatedhuman chromosome (SEM), Thesister chromatids of each duplicatedchromosome are distributed to twodaughter cells during cell division.(Chromosomes normally exist in thehighly coodensed state shown hereooty during the process of celldivision; the chromosomes in thetop and bonom cells are shown incondensed foon fOf iIIustratioopurposes ooly.)

D Circle one chromatid in thechromosome in the

micrograph, How many armsdoes the chromosome have?

o Once replicated. achromosome consistsof two sister chroma­tids connected alongtheir entire lengths bysister chromatidcohesion. Eachchromatid contains acopy of the DNAmolecule.

o Aeukaryotic cell hasmultiple chromo­somes. one of which isrepresented here.Before duplication,each chromosome hasa Single DNAmolecule.

oMechanical processesseparate the sisterchromatids into twochromosomes anddistribute them to twodaughter cells.

II

I I

DNA molecules

Chromosomeduplication(including DNAsynthesis)

Chromosomes

h~;""

. chromatids

Separationof sister

chromatids

Chromo­some arm

Centromere

Sister chromatids

Centromeres

r;~:i;7:t~~~~ase alternateswith interphase in the cell cycle

In 1882, a German anatomist named Walther Flemming de·veloped dyes that allowed him to observe, for the first time,the behavior of chromosomes during mitosis and cytokinesis.(In fact, Flemming coined the terms mitosis and chromatin.)During the period between one cell division and the next, it

1. Starting with a fertilized egg (zygote), a series of fivecell divisions would produce an early embryo withhow many cells?

2. How many chromatids are in a duplicatedchromosome?

3. M"'J:f.jIIA Achicken has 78 chromosomes in its so-matic cells. How many chromosomes did the chickeninherit from each parent? How many chromosomesare in each of the chicken's gametes? How many chro­mosomes will be in each somatic cell of the chicken'soffspring?

For suggested answers, see Appendix A.

12.1CONCEPT CHECKthe parent cell (Figure 12.4). Mitosis, the division of the nu~

cleus, is usually followed immediately by cytokinesis, the divi~

sion of the cytoplasm. \'(fhere there was one cell, there are nowtwo, each the genetic equivalent ofthe parent cell.

What happens to the chromosome number as we followthe human life cycle through the generations? You inherited46 chromosomes, one set of 23 from each parent. They werecombined in the nucleus of a single cell when a sperm fromyour father united with an egg from your mother, forming afertilized egg, or zygote. Mitosis and cytokinesis produced the200 trillion somatic cells that now make up your body, and thesame processes continue to generate new cells to replace deadand damaged ones. In contrast, you produce gametes-eggsor sperm-by a variation ofcen division called meiosis, whichyields nonidentical daughter cells that have only one set ofchromosomes, thus half as many chromosomes as the parentcell. Meiosis occurs only in your gonads (ovaries or testes). Ineach generation of humans, meiosis reduces the chromosomenumber from 46 (two sets of chromosomes) to 23 (one set).Fertilization fuses two gametes together and returns the cllfo­mosome number to 46, and mitosis conserves that number inevery somatic cell nucleus ofthe new individual. In Chapter 13,we will examine the role of meiosis in reproduction and in­heritance in more detail. In the remainder of this chapter, wefocus on mitosis and the rest of the cell cycle in eukaryotes.

230 UNIT TWO The Cell

appeared to Flemming that the cell was simply growing larger.But we now know that many critical events occur during thisstage in the life of a cell.

pages, describes these stages in an animal cell. Be sure to studythis flgure thoroughly before progressing to the next two sec­tions, which examine mitosis and cytokinesis more closely.

Phases of the Cell Cycle

... Figure 12.5 The cell cycle. In adividing cell. the mitotic (M)phase alternates with interphase, a growth period, The first part ofinterphase (G,) is followed by the 5phase, when the chromosomesreplicate; G1 1S the last part ollnterphase, In the M phase. mitosisdivides the nucleus and distributes its chromosomes to the daughternuclei, and cytokinesis diVides the cytoplasm, producing two daughtercells. The relative durations of G1, S, and G2 may vary.

Many of the events of mitosis depend on the mitotic spindle,which begins to form in the cytoplasm during prophase. Thisstructure consists of fibers made of microtubules and associ­

ated proteins. While the mitotic spindle assembles, the othermicrotubules of the cytoskeleton partially disassemble, prob­ably providing the material used to construct the spindle. Thespindle microtubules elongate (polymerize) by incorporatingmore subunits of the protein tubulin and shorten (depoly­merize) by losing subunits (see Table 6.1).

In animal cells, the assembly of spindle microtubulesstarts at the centrosome, a subcellular region containing rna·

terial that functions throughout the cell cycle to organize thecell's microtubules (it is also called the microtubule-organizingcenter). A pair of centrioles is located at the center of the cen­

trosome, but they are not essential for cell division: If thecentrioles are destroyed with a laser microbeam, a spindlenevertheless forms during mitosis. In fact, centrioles are noteven present in plant cells, which do form mitotic spindles.

During interphase in animal cells, the single centrosomereplicates, forming t\'.'O centrosomes, which remain togethernear the nucleus. The two centrosomes move apart duringprophase and prometaphase of mitosis as spindle micro­tubules grow out from them. By the end of prometaphase, thetwo centrosomes, one at each pole of the spindle, are at oppo­site ends of the cel1. An aster, a radial array of short micro­

tubules, extends from each centrosome. The spindle includesthe centrosomes, the spindle microtubules, and the asters.

Each of the hvo sister chromatids of a replicated chromo­some has a kinetochore, a structure of proteins associatedwith specific sections of chromosomal DNA at the cen­tromere. The chromosome's two kinetochores face in oppo­

site directions. During prometaphase, some of the spindlemicrotubules attach to the kinetochores; these are calledkinetochore microtubules. (The number of microtubules at­tached to a kinetochore varies among species, from one mi·crotubule in yeast cells to4() or so in some mammalian cells.)When one of a chromosome's kinetochores is "captured~ bymicrotubules, the chromosome begins to move toward thepole from which those microtubules extend. However, thismovement is checked as soon as microtubules from the op­

posite pole attach to the other kinetochore. What happensnext is like a tug-of-war that ends in a draw. The chromosomemoves first in one direction, then the other, back and forth, fi­

nally settling midway between the two ends of the cell. Atmetaphase, the centromeres of all the duplicated chromo­somes are on a plane midway between the spindle's two poles.This imaginary plane is called the metaphase plate ofthe cell

The Mitotic Spindle: A Closer Look

5(DNA synthesis)

G,

INTERPHASE

G,

Mitosis is just one part of the cell cycle (Figure 12.5). In fact,the mitotic (M) phase, which includes both mitosis and cyto­

kinesis, is usually the shortest part of the cell cycle. Mitotic celldivision alternates with a much longer stage called interphase,which often accounts for about 90% of the cycle. It is during in­terphase that the cell grows and copies its chromosomes inpreparation for cell division. Interphase can be divided into sub·phases: the G I phase ("first gap~), the S phase (~synthesis~),andthe G2 phase (~se<ondgap"). During all three subphases, the cellgrows by producing proteins and cytoplasmic organelles suchas mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. However, chro­

mosomes are duplicated only during the S phase (we will dis­cuss synthesis of DNA in Chapter 16). Thus, a cell grows (Gtl,continues to grow as it copies its chromosomes (S), grows moreas it completes preparations for cell division (G2), and divides(M). The daughter cells may then repeat the cycle.

A particular human cell might undergo one division in24 hours. Of this time, the M phase would occupy less than 1hour, while the S phase might occupy about 10-12 hours, orabout half the cycle. The rest of the time would be apportionedbetween the G I and G2 phases. The G2 phase usually takes4-6 hours; in our example, G I would occupy about 5-6 hours.

G] is the most variable in length in different types ofcells.Mitosis is conventionally broken down into five stages:

prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, andtelophase. Overlapping with the latter stages of mitosis, cytoki­nesis completes the mitotic phase. Figure 12.6, on the next two

CHAPTER TWELVE Tt1e Cell Cyde 231

• Figure 12.6

~~lfiim'The Mitotic Division of an Animal Cell

G1 of Interphase

Chromatin(duplicated)

Early mitoticspindle

Prophase

Aster Centromere Fragmentsof nuclearenvelope

Prometaphase

Nonkll1etochoremicrotubules---.

Nucleolus Nuclearenvelope

Plasmamembrane

Chromosome, consistingof two sister chromatids

KlI1etochore Kinetochoremicrotubule

G1 of Interphase• Anuclear envelope bounds the nucleus.• The nucleus contains one or more nucleoli

(singular,nucleolus).• Two cen!losomes have formed by replication

of asingle centrosome.• In animal cells, each centrosome features

two centrioles.• Chromosomes, duplicated dUfing Sphase,

cannot be seen individually because theyhave not yet condensed.

The light mICrographs show dividinglung cells from anewt, which has22 chromosomes in its somatic cells(chromosomes appear blue, mlCrotubulesgreen, and intermediate filaments red). ForsimplICity, the drawll1gs show onlysix chromosomes,

232 UNIT TWO The Cell

Prophase• The chromatin fibers become more tightly

coiled, condensing into discretechlOmosomes observable with a lightmicroscope,

• The nucleoli disappear.• Each duplicated chromosome appears as two

identical sister chlOmatids joined together attneir centromeres and all along their arms bycohesins (sister chromatid cohesion),

• The mitotic spindle (named for its shape)begins to form, It is composed of thecentrosomes and the miclOtubules thatextend from them. The radial arrays of shortermicrotubules that extend hom tnecentrosomes are called asters ('stars"),

• The cenlrosomes move away from each other.apparently propelted by tne lengtheningmfootubules between them.

Prometaphase• The nuclear envelope fragments,• The microtubules extending from each

centrosome can now invade the nuclear area.• The chromosomes have become even more

condensed.• Each of the two chromatids of each chromosome

now has akinetochore, aspecialized proteinstructure located at the centromefe.

• Some of the micfOtubules attach to thekinetochores. becoming 'kinetochoremicrotubules"; these jerk the chromosomesback and forth.

• Nonkinetochore microtubules interact withthose flom the opposite pole of the spindle,

II How many molecules a/DNA are in theprometaphase drawing? How many

moleCltles per chromosome? How manydouble helices are there per chromosome? Perchromatid?

Metaphase Anaphase Telophase and Cytokinesis

Spindle

Metaphaseplate

Centrosome atone spindle pole

Daughterchromosomes

Cleavagefurrow

Nucleolusforming

Metaphase• Metaphase is the longest stage of mitosis,

often lasting about 20 minutes.• The centrosomes are now at opposite poles

of the cell.• The chromosomes convene on the metaphase

plate, an imaginary plane that is equid;stantbet'M!ef1 the spindle's two poles. Thechromosomes' centromeres lie on themetaphase plate,

• For each chromosome, the kinetochores of thesister chromatids are attached to kinetochoremmtubules coming from opJXlSite poles.

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....... Mnosis

Anaphase• Anaphase is the shortest stage of mitosis,

often lasting only a few minutes,• Anaphase begins when the cohesin proteins

are cleaved. This allows the two sistelchromatids of each pail to part suddenly.Each chromatid thus becomes a full-fledgedchromosome.

• The two liberated daughter chromosomesbegin moving toward opposite ends of thecell as their kinetochore miclOtubulesshorten. Because these microtubules areanached at the centromere region, thechromosomes move centromere first (atabout 1 f1m1min).

• The cell elongates as the nonkinetochoremiaotubules lengthen.

• By the end of anaphase, the two efIds of the cellhave equiva!ent-and comp!ete--collections ofchromosomes.

Telophase• Two daughter nuclei form in the cell.• Nuclear envelopes arise from the fragments

of the parent cell's nuclear envelope andother portions of the endomembrane system,

• Nucleoli reappear.• The chromosomes be<ome less condensed.• Mitosis, the division of one nucleus into two

genetical~ identical nuclei, is now complete,

Cytokinesis• The division of the cytoplasm is usually well

under way by late telophase, so the twodaughter cells appear short~ after the end ofmitosis.

• In animal cells, cytokinesis involves theformation of acleavage furrow, whichpinches the cell in two.

CH,o\PlER TWELVE The Cell Cycle 233

... Figure 12.7 The mitotic spindle at metaphase. Thekinetochores of each chromosome's two sister chromatids face in oppositedirections. Here. each kinetochore is attached to acluster of kinetochoremicrotubules extending from the nearest centrosome, Nonkinetochoremicrotubules overlap at the metaphase plate (TEMs),•.@wll. On the lower micrograph, draw a line indicating themetaphase plare, Circle an aster. Draw arrows indicating the directionsof chromosome movement once anaphase begins.

(Figure 12.7). Meanwhile, microtubules that do not attach tokinetochores have been elongating, and by metaphase theyoverlap and interact with other nonkinetochore microtubulesfrom the opposite pole of the spindle. (These are sometimescaned ~polarn microtubules.) By metaphase, the microtubulesof the asters have also grown and are in contact with theplasma membrane. The spindle is now complete.

In animal cells, cytokinesis occurs by a process known ascleavage. The first sign of cleavage is the appearance of acleavage furrow, a shallow groove in the cell surface near theold metaphase plate (Figure 12.9a). On the cytoplasmic sideof the furrow is a contractile ring ofactin microfilaments as·sociated with molecules of the protein myosin. (Actin andmyosin are also responsible for muscle contraction and manyother kinds of cell movement.) The actin microfilaments in·teract with the myosin molecules, causing the ring to contract.The contraction of the dividing cell's ring of microfilaments islike the pulling of drawstrings. The cleavage furrow deepens

Let's now see how the structure of the completed spindlecorrelates with its function during anaphase. Anaphase com­mences suddenly when the cohesins holding together the sis·ter chromatids of each chromosome are cleaved by enzymes.Once the chromatids become separate, full·fledged chromo·somes, they move toward opposite ends of the cell.

How do the kinetochore microtubuJes function in this pole­ward movement ofchromosomes? Apparently, two mechanismsare in play, both involving motor proteins. (To review how motorproteins move an object along a microtubule, see Figure 6.21.) Aclever experiment carried out in Gary Borisy's lab at the Univer­sity of Wisconsin in 1987 suggested that motor proteins on thekinetochores "walknthe chromosomes along the microtubules,which depolymerize at their kinetochore ends after the motorproteins have passed (Figure 12.8). (This is referred to as the"Pacman" mechanism because of its resemblance to the arcadegame character that moves by eating all the dots in its path.)However, other researchers, working with different cell types orcells from other species, have shown that chromosomes are"reeled in" by motor proteinsat tile spindle poles and that the mi­crotubulesdepolymerize after they pass by these motor proteins.The general consensus now is that the relative contributions ofthese tv.'o mechanisms vary among cell types.

What is the function of the nonkinetochore microtubules?In a dividing animal cell, these microtubules are responsible forelongating the whole cell during anaphase. Nonkinetochoremicrotubules from opposite poles overlap each other exten·sively during metaphase (see Figure 12.7). During anaphase,the region of overlap is reduced as motor proteins attached tothe microtubules walk them away from one another, using en­ergy from ATP. As the microtubules push apart from eachother, their spindle poles are pushed apart, elongating the cell.At the same time, the microtubules lengthen somewhat by theaddition of tubulin subunits to their overlapping ends. As a re­sult, the microtubules continue to overlap.

At the end of anaphase, duplicate groups of chromosomeshave arrived at opposite ends ofthe elongated parent cell. Nu­clei re-form during telophase. Cytokinesis generally beginsduring anaphase or telophase, and the spindle eventually dis·assembles.

Cytokinesis: ACloser Look

"!I!II"----' Chromosomes

KinetochoremlCrotubules

Overlappingnonkinetochoremicrotubules

Microtubules

J."'lL .~

Centrosome

234 UNIT TWO The Cell

Cleavage furrow

In ui

EXPERIMENT Gary Borisy and colleagues wanted to deter­mine whether kinetochore microtubules depolymerize at thekinetochorl' end or the pole end as chromosomes move towardthe poles during mitosis, First, they labeled the microtubules of apig kidney cell in early anaphase with a yellow fluorescent dye,

• FI~12.•

At which end do kinetochore microtubulesshorten during anaphase?

Then they marked a region of the kinetochore mlcrotubules be­tween one spindle pole and the chromosomes by using a laser toeliminate the fluorescence from that region. (The microtubules re­mained intact.) As anaphase proceeded. they monitored thechanges in microtubule length on either side of the mark.

Mark ~ _

~\~1:::..:; ~J..~'7(~::=-: :~i~

~ -

I

r:Contractile ring ofmicrofilaments

(a) Cleavage of an animal tell (SEM)

vDaughter cells

Daughter cells

New cell wall

Wall ofparent cell

,(

VeSiClesformingcell plate

(b) Ceil plate formation in a plant cell (TEM)

SOURCE G J Gorbsky, P. J S<lmm~k. ~nd G G Bonsy,Chromosomes move poleward 1M anapflaSE alon9 stallona"l mlcrolubu~ thaIcOOfdjn~lely dil<llSEmble from their kinelochore ends, )ourlliJl of eell8io1ogy1049-18(1987)

RESULTS As the chromosomes moved poleward, themicrotubule segments on the kinetochore side of the mark short­ened, while those on the spindle pole side stayed the same length.

Microtubule

CONCLUSION During anaphase In this cell type, chromosomemovement is correlated with kinetochore microtubules shorteningat their kinetochore ends and not at their spindle pole ends. Thisexperiment supports the hypothesis that during anaphase, achro­mosome is walked along a microtubule as the microtubule de­polymerizes at its kinetochore end, releasing tubulin subunits.

Chromosomemovement--

-'MUI4 If this experiment had been done on acell type inwhich "reeling in" at the poles was the main cause of chromo­some movement. how would the mark have moved relative tothe poles) How would the miCrotubule lengths have changed)

.. Figure 12.9 Cytokinesis in animal and plant cells.

CHAPTER TWELVE The Ceil Cyde 235

NucleusNucleolus

o Prophase. The chroma­tin is condensing and thenucleolus is beginning todisappear, Although notyet visible in the micro­graph, the mitotic spindleis starling to form.

8 Prometaphase. Discretechromosomes are nowvisible: each consists oftwo aligned, identicalsister chromatids, Laterin prometaphase, thenuclear envelope willfragment.

~....;' too· .-,'" •

,;.;o Metaphase, The spindle

is complete, and thechromosomes, attachedto microtubules at theirkinetochores, are all atthe metaphase plate.

, ..,o Anaphase. The

chromatids of eachchromosome haveseparated, and thedaughter chromosomesare moving to the endsof the cell as theirkinetochore micro­tubules shorten,

" Telophase. Daughternuclei are forming,Meanwhile, cytokinesishas started: The cellplate, which will dividethe cytoplasm in two, isgrowing toward theperimeter of the parentcell.

... Figure 12.10 Mitosis in a plant cell. These light micrographs show mitosis in cells of anonion root.

until the parent cell is pinched in rn'o, producing two com­pletely separated cells, each with its own nucleus and share ofcytosol, organelles, and other subcellular structures.

Cytokinesis in plantcells, which have cell walls, is markedlydif­ferent. TIlere is no cleavage furrow. Instead, during telophase, vesi­cles derived from the Golgi apparatus move along microtubules tothe middle of the cell, where they coalesce, producing a cell plate(Figure 12.9b). Cell wall materials carried in the vesicles collect inthe cell plate as it grows. The cell plate enlarges until its surround­ing membrane fuses with the plasma membrane along theperimeter ofthe cell. Two daughter cells result, each with its ownplasma membrane. Meanwhile, a new cell wall arising from thecontents ofthe cell plate has fomled between the daughter cells.

Figure 12.10 is a series of micrographs of a dividing plantcell. Examining this figure will help you review mitosis and cy­tokinesis.

Binary Fission

The asexual reproduction of single-celled eukaryotes, such asthe amoeba in Figure 12.2a, includes mitosis and occurs bya typeof cell division called binary fission, meaning "division in half.'Prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) also reproduce by binary fis­sion, but the prokaryotic process does not involve mitosis. Inbacteria, most genes are carried on a single bacterial chromo-­some that consists of a circular DNA molecule and associatedproteins, Although bacteria are smaller and simpler than eu­karyotic cells, the challengeofreplicating their genomes in an or­derly fashion and distributing the copies equally to two daughtercells is still formidable. The chromosome of the bacterium

236 UNIT TWO The Cell

Escherichia coli, for example, when it is fully stretched out, isabout 500 times as long as the celL For such a long chromosometo fit within the cell requires that it be highly coiled and folded.

In E. coli, the process of cell division is initiated when theDNA of the bacterial chromosome begins to replicate at a spe­cific place on the chromosome called the origin ofreplication,producing two origins. As the chromosome continues toreplicate, one origin moves rapidly toward the opposite end ofthe cell (Figure 12.11). While the chromosome is replicating,the cell elongates. When replication is complete and the bac­terium has reached about twice its initial size, its plasma mem­brane grows inward, dividing the parent E. coli cell into twodaughter cells. Each cell inherits a complete genome.

Using the techniques of modern DNA technology to tag theorigins of replication with molecules that glow green in fluores­cence microscopy (see Figure 6.3), researchers have directlyobserved the movement of bacterial chromosomes. Thismovement is reminiscent of the poleward movements of thecentromere regions of eukaryotic chromosomes during ana­phase of mitosis, but bacteria don't have visible mitotic spindlesor even microtubules. In most bacterial species studied, the twoorigins of replication end up at opposite ends of the cell or insome other very specific location, possibly anchored there byone or more proteins. How bacterial chromosomes move andhow their specific location is established and maintained are stillnot fully understood. However, several proteins have been iden­tified that play important roles: One resembling eukaryotic actinmay function in bacterial chromosome movement during ceUdivision, and another that is related to tubulin may help separatethe two bacterial daughter ceUs,

Bacterialchromosome

Kinetochoremicrotubule

...-----"'"'? Chromosomes

•::,,,,,,=,,,":~~~--Intact nuclear<:: envelope

(c) Diatoms and yeasts. In two other groups of unicellular protists,diatoms and yeasts, the nuclear envelope also remains intactduring cell division, But in these organisms. the microtubulesform a spindle within the nucleus Microtubules separate thechromosomes, and the nucleus splits into two daughter nuclei.

(a) Baderia. During binary fission in bacteria, the origills of thedaughter chromosomes move to opposite ends of the cell. Themechanism is not fully understood, but proteills may anchor thedaughter chromosomes to specific sites on the plasma membrane.

(d) Most eukaryotes. In most other eukaryotes, including plants andallimals, the spindle forms outside the nucleus, and the nuclearenvelope breaks down during mitosis. Microtubules separate thechromosomes, and the nuclear envelope then re·forms.

Intact nuclearenvelope

(b) Dinoflagellates, In unicellular protists called dinoflagellates, thechromosomes attach to the nuclear envelope, which remainsintact during cell division, Microtubules pass through the nucleusinside cytoplasmic tunnels. reinforcing the spatial orientation ofthe nucleus. which then diVIdes in a process remilliscent ofbacterial binary fission,

~~: .......... KllletochoreI' ~_ ? ~ microtubule

<::>~'il

~"':> ., c: :;)......::~=-.::::"?;"-~Fragments of~ - nuclear envelope

... Figure 12.12 Ahypothetical sequence for the evohrtionof mitosis. Some unicellular eukaryotes existing today have mechanismsof cell division that appear to be intermediate between the binary fissionof bacteria (a) and mitosis as it occurs in most other eukaryotes (d). bceptfor (a). these schematIC diagrams do not show cell walls.

Plasmamembrane

I

() Two daughtercells result.

o Replication continues.One copy of the originis now at each end ofthe cell. Meanwhile,the cell elongates.

o Chromosomereplication begins.Soon after, one copyof the origin movesrapidly toward theother end of the cell bya mechanism not yetfully understood.

... Figure 12.11 Bacterial cell division by binary fission. Theexample shown here is the bacterium E. coli. which has a single,circular chromosome.

The Evolution of Mitosis

Origin ofreplication

o Replication finishes.The plasma membranegrows inward, anda new cell wall isdeposited,

How did mitosis evolve? Given that prokaryotes preceded eu­karyotes on Earth by more than a billion years, we might hy­pothesize that mitosis had its origins in simpler prokaryoticmechanisms ofcell reproduction, The fact that some ofthe pro­teins involved in bacterial binary fission are related to eukary­otic proteins that function in mitosis supports that hypothesis.

As eukaryotesevolved, along with their larger genomes and nu­clear envelopes, the ancestral process ofbinary fission, seen todayin bacteria, somehow gave rise to mitosis. Figure 12.12 traces ahypothesis for the stepwiseevolution ofmitosis. Possible interme­diate stages are represented by two unusual types of nuclear divi­sion found today in certain unicellular eukaryotes. These twoexamples of nuclear division are thought to be cases where ances­tral mechanisms have remained relatively wlChanged over evolu­tionary time. In both types, the nuclear envelope remains intaclIndinoflagellates, replicated chromosomes are attached to thenuclear envelopeand separate as the nucleus elongates prior to di­viding. In diatoms and yeasts, a spindle within the nucleus sepa­rates the chromosomes. In most eukaryotic cells, the nuclearenvelope breaks down and a spindle separates the chromosomes.

CHAPTER TWELVE The Cell Cycle 237

For suggested answers. see Appendix A

Evidence for Cytoplasmic Signals

When a cell in theM phase was fused withacell in G1, the G,nucleus ,mmediatelybegan mitosis-a spindleformed and chromatincondensed, even thoughthe chromosome had notbeen duplicated

•

When acell in theSphase was fused witha cell in G,. the G1nucleus immediatelyentered the 5phase-DNA wassynthesized.

EXPERIMENT

Experiment 1 Experiment 2

@ ® CD ®s G, M G,

RESULTS j j

@ @ CD CDs S M M

R. T. Johns.on and P. N. Rao, Mammalian cell fuSion:induction of premature chromO'iOme condensation 'n inter~ase nuclei, Nature226:717-722 (1970)

SOURCE

Researchers at the University of Coloradowondered whether acell's progression through the cell cycle iscontrolled by cytoplasmic molecules. To investigate this, they in­duced cultured mammalian cells at different phases of the cellcycle to fuse. Two such experiments are shown here.

Do molecular signals in the cytoplasm regulatethe cell cycle?

CONCLUSION The results of fusing a G, cell with a cell in the5or M phase of the cell cycle suggest that molecules present ill

the cytoplasm during the 5or M phase control the progression tothose phases.

-','!:tUI4 If the progression of phases did not depend on cyto­plasmic molecules and each phase began when the previous onewas complete. how would the results have differed)

12.2CONCEPT CHECI(

The timing and rate of cell division in different parts ofa plantor animal are crucial to normal growth, development, andmaintenance. The frequency of cell division varies with thetype of cell. For example, human skin cells divide frequentlythroughout life, whereas liver cells maintain the ability to dividebut keep it in reserve until an appropriate need arises-say, torepair a wound. Some ofthe most specialized cells, such as fullyformed nerve cells and muscle cells, do not divide at ail in a ma­ture human. These celi cycle differences result from regulationat the molecular level. The mechanisms of this regulation areof intense interest, not only for understanding the life cycles ofnormal cells but also for understanding how cancer cells man­age to escape the usual controls.

1. How many chromosomes are shown in the diagramin Figure l2.7? How many chromatids are shown?

2. Compare cytokinesis in animal cells and plant cells,3. What is a function of nonkinetochore microtubules?4. Identify three similarities between bacterial chromo­

somes and eukaryotic chromosomes, consideringboth structure and behavior during cell division.

5. Compare the roles of tubulin and actin during eu­karyotic cell division with the roles of tubulin-like andactin-like proteins during bacterial binary fission.

6. -'MUI4 During which stages of the cell cycle doesa chromosome consist of two identical chromatids?

r;~:':;:~~;~ cell cycle isregulated by a molecularcontrol system

What controls the cell cycle? As Paul Nurse mentions in theinterview opening this unit, one reasonable hypothesis mightbe that each event in the ceil cycle merely leads to the next, asin a simple metabolic pathway. According to this hypothesis,the replication of chromosomes in the S phase, for example,might cause cell growth during the G2 phase, which might inturn lead inevitably to the onset of mitosis. However, this hy­pothesis, which proposes a pathway that is not subject to ei·ther internal or external regulation, turns out to be incorre<t.

In the early 19705, a variety of experiments led to an alter­native hypothesis: that the cell cycle is driven by specific sig­naling molecules present in the cytoplasm. Some of the firststrong evidence for this hypothesis came from experimentswith mammalian cells grown in culture. In these experiments,

two cells in different phases ofthe cell cycle were fused to forma single cell with two nuclei. If one of the original cells was inthe S phase and the other was in G" the G, nucleus immedi­ately entered the S phase, as though stimulated by chemicalspresent in the cytoplasm of the first cell. Similarly, if a cell un­dergoing mitosis (M phase) was fused with another cell in anystage ofits cell cycle, even G[, the second nucleus immediatelyentered mitosis, with condensation of the chromatin and for­mation ofa mitotic spindle (Figure 12.13).

The Cell Cycle Control System

The experiment shown in Figure 12.13 and other experimentson animal cells and yeasts demonstrated that the sequential

238 UNIT TWO The Cell

The Cell Cye/e Clock: Cye/ins and Cye/in-DependentKinases

.. Figure 12.15 The G, checkpoint.-@'UI4 What might be the result if the cell ignored thecheckpoint and progressed through the cell cycle~

(b) If a cell does not receive ago-ahead signal at the G)checkpoint. the cell eKits thecell cycle and goes into Go, anondividing state,

(Figure 12.15). Most cells of the human body are actually inthe Go phase. As mentioned earlier, mature nerve cells andmuscle cells never divide. Other cells, such as liver cells, can be"caned back" from the Go phase to the cen cycle by externalcues, such as growth factors released during injury.

To understand how cell cycle checkpoints work, we firstneed to see what kinds of molecules make up the cell cyclecontrol system (the molecular basis for the cell cycle clock)and how a cell progresses through the cycle. Then we will con­sider the internal and external checkpoint signals that canmake the dock pause or continue.

(a) If a cell receives a gO'aheadsignal at the G] checkpoint.the cell continues on in thecell cycle.

GI checkpoint

events of the cell cycle are directed by a distinct cell cyelecontrol system, a cyclically operating setof molecules in the cellthat both triggers and coordinates key events in the cell cycle.The cell cycle control system has been compared to the controldevice of an automatic washing machine (Figure 12.14). Likethe washer's timing device, the cell cycle control system pro­ceeds on its own, according to a built-in clock. However, just asa washer's cycle is subject to both internal control (such as thesensor that detects when the tub is filled with water) and ex­ternal adjustment (such as activation of the start mechanism),the cell cycle is regulated at certain checkpoints by both inter­nal and external signals.

Acheckpoint in the cell cycle is a control point where stopand go-ahead signals can regulate the cycle. (The signals aretransmitted within the cell by the kinds of signal transductionpathwaysdiscussed in Chapter 11.) Animal cells generally havebuilt-in stop signals that halt the cell cycle at checkpoints untiloverridden by go-ahead signals. Many signals registered atcheckpoints come from cellular surveillance mechanisms in­side the cell; the signals report whether crucial cellularprocesses that should have occurred by that point have in factbeen completed correctly and thus whether or not the cell cy­cle should proceed. Checkpointsalso register signals from out­side the cell, as we will discuss later. Three major checkpointsare found in the GI, G2, and M phases (see Figure 12.14).

For many cells, the G] checkpoint-dubbed the "restrictionpoint" in mammalian cells-seems to be the most important.If a cell receives a go-ahead signal at the GIcheckpoint, it willusually complete the GI, S, G2> and M phases and divide. If itdoes not receive a go-ahead signal at that point, it will exit thecycle, switching into a nondividing state called the Go phase

GI checkpOint

McheckpointG2 checkpoint

.. Figure 12.14 Mecha"ical analogy for the cell cyclecontrol system. In this diagram of the cell cycle. the flat "steppingstones" around the perImeter represent sequential events. like thecontrol device of an automatic washer. the cell cycle control systemproceeds on its own. driven by a built-in clock, However, the system issubjed to internal and Hternal regulation at various checkpoints, ofwhich three are shown (red).

Rhythmic fluctuations in the abundance and activity ofcell cyclecontrol molecules pace the sequential events of the cell cycle.These regulatory molecules are mainly proteins of two types:protein kinases and cyclins. Protein kinasesare enzymes thatac­tivate or inactivate other proteins by phosphorylating them (seeChapter 11). Particular protein kinases give the go-ahead signalsat the G1 and G2 checkpoints. Figure 12.16, on the next page,describes an experiment from Paul Nurse's laboratory thatdemonstrates the crucial function of the protein kinase Cdc2 intriggering mitosis at the G1 checkpoint in one type ofyeast. Shld­ies by other researchers have shown that this enzyme plays thesame role in sea star eggs and cultured human cells, suggestingthat the function of this protein has been conserved during theevolution ofeukaryotes and is likely the same in many species.

Many of the kinases that drive the cell cycle are actuallypresent at a constant concentration in the growing cell, butmuch of the time they are in an inactive form. To be active,such a kinase must be attached to a cyelin, a protein that getsits name from its cyclically fluctuating concentration in thecell. Because of this requirement, these kinases are calledcyelin-dependent kinases, or Cdks. The activity of a Cdk

CHAPTER TWELVE The Cell Cycle 239

Time

(a) Fluctuation of MPF activity and cyclin concentration duringthe cell cycle

~Inui

How does the activity of a protein kinaseessential for mitosis vary during the cell cycle?

EXPERIMENT Working with the fISSion yeast xhizosaccharo-mYCe5 pombe. Paul Nurse and colleagues ldentifled agene, coc2,whose normal functioning is necessary for cell divisioo. They firstshowed thai its product W~ a protein kinase (see the Unit Two inter­view, pp. 92-93), As part of a large study on hOW' the akl protein ki­nase is regulated during the cell cycle, they measured itsaetivity as thecell cycle progressed. In aculture of yeast cells syndlronized so thatthey divided simultaneously, the researchers removed samples at Inter­~als over a peri<xl of time suffICient for two cydes of cell division,

They submitted each sample 10 MO kinds of analysis: (1) micro­scopic examination to determine the percentage of cells dividing (asshown by the presence of the cell plate formed during yeast cytoki.nesls) and (2) measurement of kinase actiVIty in an extract of the cells(as indicated by phosphorylation of a standard protein). Control ex­periments established that the kinase activity they measured was dueprimarily to the cdc2 protein kinase, In this way. they were able tosee if an increase in enzymatic activity correlated with cell divisioo,

MPF activity

Cyelinconcentration

'lOuring G1, conditions inthe cell favor degradationof cyelin, and the Cdkcomponent of MPF isrecycled.

OSynthesis of cyclinbegins in late 5 phaseand continues throughG2. Because cyelin isprotected fromdegradation duringthis stage, it accumulates.

MPF

Degradedcyclin

I20 g'

]~

~

10 ~'0~

30

The activity of the cdc2 protein kinase variedduring the cell cyele In a periodIC way. rising to a peak just beforemitosis and then falling,

RESULTS

o>-L-~-""'......L~~--+O100 200 300 400 500

Time (min)

SOURCE

(b) Molecular mechanisms that help regulate the cell cycle

CONCLUSION The correlation between enzyme actiVity andthe onset of mitosis. combined with evidence from other experi­ments that mitosis does not occur in the absence of cdc2 kinaseactivity. supports the hypothesis that the cdc2 kinase plays an es­sential role in triggering mitosis.

$. Moreno. j Hayles, and P Nurse. Re9ulatlon of p34"k.1protein kinase during mitosis. Cel/58:361-372 (1989),

-mu'liI What results would you expect-for both kinase ac­tivity and percentage of cells divlding----if the cells tested weremutants completely deficient in the cdc2 protein kinase?

OOuringanaphase, thecyclin com­ponent of MPF isdegraded,terminating theM phase. Thecell enters theG1 phase.

oMPF promotesmitosis by phos­phorylatingvarious proteins.MPF's activitypeaks duringmetaphase.

f)Accumulatedcydin moleculescombine withrecycled Cdk mol­ecules, producingenough molecules ofMPF for the cellto pass the G2checkpoint andinitiate the events ofmitosis.

rises and falls with changes in the concentration of its cyclinpartner. Figure 12.17a shows thefluctuatingactivityofMPF, thecyclin-Cdk complex that was discovered first (in frog eggs), Notethat the peaks of MPF activity correspond to the peaks of cyc1inconcentration. The cyc1in level rises during the Sand G1 phasesand then falls abruptly during M phase. (The red curve in Figure12.16 shows the cyclic activity ofthe MPF in fission yeast.)

The initials MPF stand for "maturation-promoting factor;but we can think of MPF as "M-phase-promoting factor n be-

... Figure 12.17 Molecular control of the cell cycle at the Gzcheckpoint. The steps of the cell cyde are timed by rhythmic fluctuatioosin the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks). Here we focus 00 a cydin­Cdk complex in animal cells called MPF, whICh acts at the G1 checkpOint asa go-ahead signal. triggering the events of mitosis. (The Cdk of MPF is thesame as the cck2 protein kinase of fission yeast featured in Figure 12.16.)

cause it triggers the cell's passage past the G2 checkpoint intoM phase {Figure 12.17b). When cyclins that accumulate dur­ing G2 associate with Cdk molecules, the resulting MPF com­plex phosphorylates a variety of proteins, initiating mitosis.

240 UNIT TWO The Cell

Petriplate

The experiment illustrated in Figure 12.18 demonstrates thatPDGF is required for the division of fibroblasts in culture. fi­broblasts, a type ofconnective tissue cell, have PDGF receptors

f) Enzymes are used todigest the extracellularmatrix In the tissuepieces. resulting in asuspension of freefibroblasts.

..;....-_.0...."0- 0 0 • - 0··::"

In the basic growth mediumplus POGF, the cells prolifer­ate The SEM shows culturedfibroblasts.

With POGF ~Without POGF

o Cells are transferred tosterile culture vesselscontaining a basic growthmedium consisting ofglucose. amino acids.salts. and antibiotICS (as aprecaution against bac­terial growth), PDGF isadded to hall the vessels,The culture vessels areincubated at 37°C.

o A sample of humanconnective tissue iscut up Into smallpieces.

In the basic growth mediumWithout PDGF (the control).the cells fail to divide.

... Figure 12.18 The effect of a growth factor on cell division.As this experiment shows. adding platelet-derived grcwth factor (PDGF) tohuman fibroblasts in culture causes the cells to proliferate,

D PDGF IS known to signal cells by binding to a cell-surface receptorthat is a receptor tyrosine kinase, If you added a chemICal that

prevented phosphorylation of rhis receplor, how would the results differ?

Stop and Co Signs: Internal and External Signals atthe Checkpoints

MPF acts both directly as a kinase and indirectly by activatingother kinases. For example, MPF causes phosphorylation ofvarious proteins ofthe nuclear lamina (see Figure 6.10), whichpromotes fragmentation of the nuclear envelope during

prometaphase of mitosis. There is also evidence that MPF

contributes to molecular events required for chromosomecondensation and spindle formation during prophase.

During anaphase, MPF helps switch itself offby initiating aprocess that leads to the destruction of its own cyclin. Thenoncyclin part of MPF, the Cdk, persists in the cell in inactiveform until it associates with new cyclin molecules synthesizedduring the Sand G2 phases of the next round of the cycle.

What controls cell behavior at the GJ checkpoint? Animalcells appear to have at least three Cdk proteins and several dif­ferent cyclins that operate at this che<kpoint. The fluctuatingactivities of different cyclin~Cdk complexes are of major im­portance in controlling all the stages of the cell cycle.

Research scientists are currently working out the pathwaysthat link signals originating inside and outside the cell with theresponses by cyclin-dependent kinases and other proteins. Anexample of an internal signal occurs at the M phase check­point. Anaphase, the separation ofsister chromatids, does notbegin until all the chromosomes are properly attached to thespindle at the metaphase plate. Researchers have learned thatas long as some kinetochores are unattached to spindle mi­

crotubules, the sister chromatids remain together, delayinganaphase. Only when the kinetochores of all the chromo­somes are attached to the spindle does the appropriate regu­latory protein become activated. (In this case, the regulatoryprotein is not a Cdk.) Once activated, the protein sets off achain of molecular events that ultimately results in the enzy­matic cleavage of cohesins, allowing the sister chromatids toseparate. This mechanism ensures that daughter cells do notend up with missing or extra chromosomes.

Studies using animal cells in culture have led to the identi­fication of many external factors, both chemical and physical,that can influence cell division. For example, cells fail to divideif an essential nutrient is lacking in the culture medium. (This

is analogous to trying to run an automatic washing machinewithout the water supply hooked up.) And even if all otherconditions are favorable, most types of mammalian cells di­vide in culture only if the growth medium includes specificgrowth factors. As mentioned in Chapter 11, a growth factoris a protein released by certain cells that stimulates other cellsto divide. Researchers have discovered more than 50 growthfactors. Different cell types respond specifically to differentgrowth factors or combinations of growth factors.

Consider, for example, platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF), which is made by blood cell fragments called platelets.

CHAPTER TWELVE The Cell Cyde 241

... Figure 12.19 Density-dependent inhibition andanchorage dependence of cell division. Individual cells areshown disproportionately large in the drawings.

25 j.lm

(a) Normal mammalian (ells. Contact with neighboring cells andthe availability of nutrients, growth factors. and a substratum forattachment limit cell density to a single layer.

Cells anchor to dish surface anddivide (anchorage dependence).

If some cells are scraped away.the remaining cells divide to fillthe gap and then stop once theycontact each other (density­dependent inhibition),

When celis have formed acomplete single layer. they stopdividing (density-dependentInhibition).

'----

.-

I

25 j.lm

(b) Cancer cells. Cancer cells usually continue to divide well beyonda single layer, forming aclump of overlapping cells, They do notexhibit anchorage dependence or density-dependent inhibition.

cer cells can go on dividing indefinitely in culture ifthey are givena continual supply of nutrients; in essence, they are "immortal."Astriking example is a celt line that has been reproducing in cul­ture since 1951. Cells of this line are called HeLa cells becausetheir original source was a tumor removed from a womannamed Henrietta Lacks. By contrast, nearly all normal mam­malian cells growing in culture divide only about 20 to 50 timesbefore they stop dividing, age, and die. (We'll see a possible rea­son for this phenomenon when we discuss chromosome repli­cation in Chapter 16.)

loss of Cell Cycle Controls in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells do not heed the normal signals that regulate thecell cycle. They divide excessively and invade other tissues. Ifunchecked, they can kill the organism.

In addition to their lack of density-dependent inhibitionand anchorage dependence, cancer cells do not stop dividingwhen growth factors are depleted. A logical hypothesis is thatcancer cells do not need growth factors in their culturemedium to grow and divide. They may make a requiredgrowth factor themselves, or they may have an abnormality inthe signaling pathway that conveys the growth factor's signalto the cell cycle control system even in the absence of that fac­tor. Another possibility is an abnormal cell cycle control sys­tem. In fact, as you will learn in Chapter 18, these are allconditions that may lead to cancer.

There are other important differences between normal cellsand cancercells that reflect derangements ofthe cell cycle. Ifandwhen they stop dividing, cancer cells do so at random points inthe cycle, rather than at the normal che<kpoints. Moreover, can-

on their plasma membranes. The binding of PDGF moleculesto these receptors (which are receptor tyrosine kinasesi seeChapter 11) triggers a signal transduction pathway that allowsthe celts to pass theG I che<kpointand divide. PDGF stimulatesfibroblast division not only in the artificial conditions of cellculture, but in an animal's body as well. \Vhen an injury occurs,platelets release PDGF in the vicinity. The resulting prolifera­tion of fibroblasts helps heal the wound.

The effect of an external physical factor on cell division is

clearly seen in density-dependent inhibition, a phenomenonin which crowded cells stop dividing (Figure 12.19a). As firstobserved many years ago, cultured cells normally divide untilthey form a single layer of cells on the inner surface of the cul­ture container, at which point the celts stop dividing. If somecells are removed, those bordering the open space begin divid­ing again and continue until the vacancy is filled. Re<ent studieshave revealed that the binding of a cell-surface protein to itscounterpart on an adjoining celt sends a growth-inhibitingsignal to both celts, preventing them from moving forward inthe cell cycle, even in the presence ofgrowth factors.

Most animal cells also exhibit anchorage dependence (seeFigure 12.19a). To divide, they must be attached to a substra­tum, such as the inside ofa culture jar or the extracellular ma­trix of a tissue. Experiments suggest that like cell density,anchorage is signaled to the cell cycle control system via path­ways involving plasma membrane proteins and elements ofthe cytoskeleton linked to them.

Density-dependent inhibition and anchorage dependenceappear to function in the body's tissues as well as in cell cul­ture, checking the growth ofcells at some optimal density andlocation. Cancer cells, which we discuss next, exhibit neitherdensity-dependent inhibition nor anchorage dependence(Figure 12.19b).

242 UNIT TWO The Cell

CONCEPT CHECK

The abnormal behavior of cancer cells can be catastrophicwhen it occurs in the body. The problem begins when a singlecell in a tissue undergoes transformation, the process that con­verts a normal cell to a cancer cell. The body's immune systemnormally recognizes a transformed cell as an insurgent and de­stroys it. However, ifthe cell evades destruction, it may prolifer­ate and form a tumor, a mass ofabnormal cells within otherwisenormal tissue. If the abnormal cells remain at the original site,the lump is called a benign tumor. Most benign tumors do notcause serious problems and can be completely removed by sur­gery. In contrast, a malignant tumor becomes invasive enoughto impair the functions ofone or more organs (Figure 12.20).An individual with a malignant tumor is said to have cancer.

The cells of malignant tumors are abnormal in many ways be­sides their excessive proliferation. They may have unusual num­bers of chromosomes (whether this is a cause or an effect oftransformation is a current topic of debate). Their metabolismmay be disabled, and they may cease to fWlction in any construc­tive way. Abnormal changes on the cell surface cause cancer cellsto lose attachments to neighboring cells and the extracellular ma­trix, which allows them to spread into nearby tissues. Cancercellsmayaisosecrete signal molecules that cause blood vessels to growtoward the tumor. A few tumor cells may separate from the orig­inal tumor, enter blood vessels and lymph vessels, and travel toother parts of the body. There, they may proliferate and form anew tumor. This spread ofcancer cells to locations distant fromtheir original site is called metastasis (see Figure 1220).

A tumor that appears to be localized may be treated withhigh-energy radiation, which damages DNA in cancer cellsmuch more than it does in normal cells, apparently because themajority ofcancer cells have lost the ability to repair such dam­age. To treat known or suspected metastatic tumors,chemotherapy is used, in which drugs that are toxic to activelydividing cells are administered through the circulatory system.As you migllt expect, chemotherapeutic drugs interfere with

specific steps in the cell cycle. For example, the drug Taxolfreezes the mitotic spindle by preventing microtubule depoly·merization, which stops actively dividing cells from proceedingpast metaphase. The side effectsofchemotherapyare due to thedrugs' effects on normal cells that divide often. For example,nausea results from chemotherapy's effects on intestinal cells,hair loss from effects on hair follicle cells, and susceptibility toinfection from effects on immune system cells.

Researchers are beginning to understand how a normal cellis transformed into a cancer cell. You will learn more about themolecular biology ofcancer in Chapter 18. Though the causesof cancer are diverse, cellular transformation always involvesthe alteration of genes that somehow influence the cell cyclecontrol system. Our knowledge ofhow changes in the genomelead to the various abnormalities ofcancer cells remains rudi­mentary, however.

Perhaps the reason we have so many unanswered questionsabout cancer cells is that there is still so much to learn abouthow normal cells function. The cell, life's basic unit of struc­ture and function, holds enough secrets to engage researcherswell into the future.

12.31. In Figure 12.13, why do the nuclei resulting from ex­

periment 2 contain different amounts of DNA?2. \Vhat is the go·ahead signal for a cell to pass the Gz

phase checkpoint and enter mitosis? (See Figure 12.17.)3. \Vhat phase are most of your body cells in?4. Compare and contrast a benign tumor and a malig­

nant tumor.5. -'mu". \Vhat would happen if you performed

the experiment in Figure 12.18 with cancer cells?

For suggested answers. see Appendix A.

Bloodvessel-Cancercell

Lymphvessel

Metastatictumor

o A small percentage of cancercells may survive and establisha new tumor in another pariof the body.

The spread of cancer cells beyond their originalsite's called metastasis

€) Cancer cells spread throughlymph and blood vessels toother parts of the body.

-tumors grow in an uncontrolled way and canspread to neighboring tissues and. via lymphand blood vessels. to other parts of the body.

e Cancer cells invade neigh·boring tissue.

-Tumor

""-Glandular....__ tissue

o A tumor grows from asinglecancer cell.

J. Figure 12.20 The growth andmetastasis of a malignant breasttumor. The cells of malignant (cancerous)

CHAPTER TWELVE The Cell Cyde 243

C a terlll .......Revlew•

Act;\ity Roles ofCdI Division

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCEPTS

BioFIiI 3-0 Animalion Milosis

MP3 Tutor Mitosi.

Acti'ity The Cell Cycle

Acti'ity Milo,is and Cytokinesi' Animation

Acti'ity Milo,is and Cytokinesi' Video

In"csllgallon How Much lime Do Cells Spend in Each Ph.~e ofM;to~;s?

Mi iiiiJ'-12.3

.. The Mitotic Spindle: A Closer Look The mitotic spindleis an apparatus of microtubules that controls chromosomemovement during mitosis. In animal cells, the spindle arisesfrom the centrosomes and includes spindle microtubulesand asters. Some spindle microtubules attach to the kineto­chores of chromosomes and move the chromosomes to themetaphase plate. In anaphase, sister chromatids separate,and motor proteins move them along the kinetochore mi­crotubules toward opposite ends of the cell. Meanwhile,motor proteins push nonkinetochore microtubules fromopposite poles away from each other, elongating the cell.In telophase, genetically identical daughter nuclei form atopposite ends of the cell.

.. Cytokinesis: A Closer Look Mitosis is usually followed bycytokinesis. Animal cells carry out cytokinesis by cleavage,and plant cells form a cell plate.

.. Binary Fission During binary fission in bacteria, the chro­mosome replicates and the two daughter chromosomes ac­tively move apart. The specific proteins involved in thismovement are a subject of current research.

.. The Evolution of Mitosis Since prokaryotes preceded eu­karyotes by more than a bi11ion years, it is likely that mitosisevolved from prokaryotic cell division. Certain protists exhibittypes of cell division that seem intermediate between bacterialbinary fission and the process of mitosis carried out by mosteukaryotic cells.

M.,IIIII'-12.2

.. Unicellular organisms reproduce byeI'll division; multicellularorganisms depend on cell division for their development froma fertilized egg and for growth and repair.

Cell division results in genetically identical daughtercells (pp. 229-2301

.. Cells duplicate their genetic material before they divide, en­suring that each daughter cell receives an exact copy of the ge­netic material, DNA.

.. Cellular Organization of the Genetic Material DNA ispartitioned among chromosomes. Eukaryotic chromosomesconsist of chromatin, a complex of DNA and protein that con­denses during mitosis. In animals, gametes have one set ofchromosomes and somatic cells have two sets.

The mitotic phase alternates with interphase in the cellcycle (pp. 230-238).. phases of the Cell Cycle Between divisions, cells are in inter­

phase: the Gj , S, and G~ phases. The cell grows throughout inter­phase, but DNA is replicatedonly during the synthesis (S)phase. Mitosis and cytoki­nesis make up the mi-totic (M) phase of Cylokinesl~

the cell cycle. MIIOsl~ ~~~~~~;;~~M1OOC(M)f'I-L/lSE ....

.. Distribution of Chromosomes During Eukaryotic Cell Di­vision In preparation for cell division, chromosomes replicate,each one then consisting oftwo identical sister chromatidsjoined along their lengths by sister chromatid cohesion. Whenthis cohesion is broken, the chromatids separate during cell di­vision, becoming the chromosomes of the new daughter cells.Eukaryotic cell division consists of mitosis (division ofthe nu­cleus) and cytokinesis {division ofthe cytoplasm).

-w·If·• Go to the Study Area at www.masteringbio.(om for BioFlix3-D Animations. MP3 Tutol), Videos. Practice Tests, an eBook. and more.

M.,i"jJ'-12.1

Acti'ity Cause, of Cancer

244 UNIT TWO The Cell

TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

SELF-QUIZ

I. Through a microscope, you can see a cell plate beginning to de­velop across the middle of a cell and nuclei re-forming on ei­

ther side of the cell plate. This cell is most likely

a. an animal cell in the process of cytokinesis.

b. a plant cell in the process of cytokinesis.

c. an animal cell in the S phase of the cell cycle.

d. a bacterial cell dividing.

e. a plant cell in metaphase.

2. Vinblastine is a standard chemotherapeutic drug used to treat

cancer. Because it interferes with the assembly of microtubules,

its effectiveness must be related to

a. disruption of mitotic spindle formation.

b. inhibition of regulatory protein phosphorylation.

c. suppression of cydin production.

d. myosin denaturation and inhibition of cleavage furrow

formation.

e. inhibition of DNA synthesis.

3. A particular cell has half as much DNA as some other cells in a

mitotically active tissue. The cell in question is most likely in

a. G 1• d. metaphase.

b. G2• e. anaphase.

c. prophase.

4. One difference between cancer cells and normal cells is that

cancer cells

a. are unable to synthesize DNA.

b. are arrested at the S phase of the cell cycle.

c. continue to divide even when they are tightly packed

together.

d. cannot function properly because they are affected by

density-dependent inhibition.

e. are always in the M phase of the cell cycle.

5. The decline of MPF activity at the end of mitosis is due to

a. the destruction of the protein kinase Cdk.

b. decreased synthesis of cyclin.

c. the degradation of cyclin.

d. synthesis of DNA.

e. an increase in the cell's volume-to-genome ratio.

6. The drug cytochalasin B blocks the function of actin. Which of

the following aspects of the cell cycle would be most disrupted

by cytochalasin B?a. spindle formation

b. spindle attachment to kinetochoresc. DNA synthesis

d. cell elongation during anaphasee. cleavage furrow formation

7. In the cells of some organisms, mitosis occurs without cytoki­

nesis. This will result in

a. cells with more than one nucleus.

b. cells that are unusually small.

c. cells lacking nuclei.

d. destruction of chromosomes.

e. cell cycles lacking an S phase.

8. Which ofthe following does not occur during mitosis?

a. condensation of the chromosomes

b. replication of the DNA

c. separation of sister chromatids

d. spindle formation

e. separation of the spindle poles

9. In the light micrograph below of dividing cells near the tip of

an onion root, identify a cell in each of the follOWing stages:

prophase. prometaphase. metaphase. anaphase. and telophase.

Describe the major events occurring at each stage.

10. ••i;f.W'i1 Draw one eukaryotic chromosome as it would ap­

pear during interphase, during each of the stages of mitosis,

and during cytokinesis. Also draw and label the nuclear enve­

lope and any microtubules attached to the chromosome(s).

For Self-Quiz answers, see Appendix A.

-MH',. ViSit the Study Area at www.masteringbio.com lor aPractice Test

EVOLUTION CONNECTION

II. The result of mitosis is that the daughter cells end up with the

same number of chromosomes that the parent cell had. An­

other way to maintain the number of chromosomes would be

to carry out cell division first and then duplicate the chromo­

somes in each daughter cell. Do you think this would be an

equally good way of organizing the cell cycle? \xrhy do you sup­

pose that evolution has not led to this alternative?

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

12. Although both ends of a microtubule can gain or lose subunits,

one end (called the plus end) polymerizes and depolymerizes at

a higher rate than the other end (the minus end). For spindle

microtubules, the plus ends are in the center of the spindle, and

the minus ends are at the poles. Motor proteins that move on

microtubules specialize in walking either toward the plus end

or toward the minus end; the two types are called plus end­

directed and minus end-directed motor proteins, respectively.

Given what you know about chromosome movement and spin­

dle changes during anaphase, predict which type of motor pro­

teins would be present on (a) kinetochore microtubules and

(b) nonkinetochore microtubules.

CHAPTER TWELVE The Cell Cycle 245