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Why This Matters for Nursing: Cell division is essential for growth, healing, and tissue repair. Understanding the cell cycle helps you understand wound healing, cancer (uncontrolled division), and how chemotherapy drugs work.
The cell cycle is the series of events a cell goes through from one division to the next. There are two main types of cell division:
| Type | Purpose | Result | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitosis | Growth, repair, replacement | 2 identical daughter cells | All body cells |
| Meiosis | Sexual reproduction | 4 genetically unique cells | Egg and sperm cells |
IPMAT for Mitosis stages: Interphase (preparation) Prophase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase
"I Picked My Apples Today"
Mitosis = Makes Identical Twins (2 cells) Meiosis = Makes 4 (for reproduction)
The cell grows and prepares for division:
| Phase | What Happens |
|---|---|
| G1 (Gap 1) | Cell grows; normal functions |
| S (Synthesis) | DNA replicates (copies itself) |
| G2 (Gap 2) | Cell prepares for division |
Actual division occurs: Mitosis + Cytokinesis
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