Cell Division Lab

GETTING STARTED:

1.) Cells that undergo mitosis simply divide in two many times and as the process continues, a multicellular organism is made.

2.) Cell division allows for asexual reproduction.

3.) DNA must be accurately duplicated and all checkpoints must be met for a successful cell division.

4.) Genetic material is identical in all cells on an organism.

5.) Advantages of asexual reproduction include no need for a partner, and the same genetic code always being preserved.

6.) The amount of DNA must be constant among generations.

7.) Mitotic spindle fibers guide chromosomes in a cell during cell division.

8.) There is a checkpoint system that controls the cell cycle. Defective control would allow for rampant cell division.

PART 1: Modeling Mitosis

1.) It contains twice as much genetic information.

2.) Chromosomes condense so that DNA strands don’t break during mitosis or meiosis.

3.) Spindle fibers pull the chromatids apart.

4.) One cell will have two chromatids and the other will have none.

PART 2: Effects of Environment on Mitosis

1.) Experimental hypothesis is that lectin decreases rate of mitosis in root cells. Null is that it does not affect it. These are not the same.

2.) Grow 2 sets of bulbs in separate environments, one treated with lectin, and another without. Measure growth of the bulb.

3.) You should measure the mass with a weight.

4.) Grow the bulb in normal conditions for an appropriate control.

Review from Part 1

1.) The cell cycle is controlled by checkpoints. Cyclins activate respective enzymes to progress the cell.

2.) Cyclins are proteins that bind to cyclin-dependent kinases to activate them, and regulate the cycle.

Prelab Questions for Part 3

1.) Cancer cells continue to divide, uninhibited by factors that normally slow down normal cell growth.

2.) Any genetic mutations can cause cancer.

3.) The cell passes...