A. The purpose of the investigation is to determine the time an onion cell spends in each part of the cell cycle.
B. The significance of this investigation is to help us understand and know how long cells are undergoing mitosis. My personal interest is to know the phases of mitosis in cells in order to someday help find cures for cancer.
C. The cell cycle is a chronological set of events, culminating in cell growth and division into two daughter cells. Some of the reasons why mitosis occurs include growth, tissue repair, and embryonic development.
PROPHASE = Chromatin in the nucleus begins to condense and becomes visible in the light microscope as chromosomes. The nucleolus disappears. Centrioles begin moving to opposite ends of the cell and fibers extend from the centromeres. Some fibers cross the cell to form the mitotic spindle.
METAPHASE = Spindle fibers align the chromosomes along the middle of the cell nucleus. This line is referred to as the metaphase plate. This organization helps to ensure that in the next phase, when the chromosomes are separated, each new nucleus will receive one copy of each chromosome.
ANAPHASE = The paired chromosomes separate at the kinetochores and move to opposite sides of the cell. Motion results from a combination of kinetochore movement along the spindle microtubules and through the physical interaction of polar microtubules.
TELOPHASE = Chromatids arrive at opposite poles of cell, and new membranes form around the daughter nuclei. The chromosomes disperse and are no longer visible under the light microscope. The spindle fibers disperse, and cytokinesis or the partitioning of the cell may also begin during this stage.
D. Hypothesis = I believe the onion root cell will be under the interphase phase of the cell cycle because a cell spends most of its time under interphase.
E. Materials = Slide, Light Microscope
F. Procedure = Refer to lab.
G.
Phase of