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New cells are produced by the cell cycle which has different stages and one of them is
mitosis. Mitosis is when genetic material is divided and the nucleus divides to create two new
nuclei. There are four major steps of mitosis which are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and
telophase. In prophase, the beginning step is where a nucleus and the chromosomes are visible.
In metaphase, the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell and each sister chromatid is
attached to a spindle fiber. The spindle fibers are stretching out from the opposite poles. In
anaphase chromosomes are pulled to opposite poles by the spindle fibers. Telophase is where
chromosomes are on opposite sides and nuclei are forming. Once this process is over there is
cytokinesis which is when it spits into two cells. When mitosis is done at the end you get two
identical cells. Different cells in our body have mitosis happening at different rates but need to
stay in the area they are duplicating because it can also cause a problem.
There are many different reasons why mitosis plays a big role in cancer. Cancer can start
from errors or loss of control of mitosis. According to the article, mitosis is very important in the
cell cycle phase because there is separation of sister chromatids, and a lot of accuracy is needed
to create the next cells. When the sister chromatids are separated to the opposite poles it needs to
be accurate because once separated they cannot go back to the original. (Kahyo et al., 2024)
When this happens it can cause chromosomal instability which then leads to cancer. Another way
mitosis contributes to cancer is when there is a defect in the mitotic checkpoint. When there are
defects in the checkpoint during mitosis such as mutations and changes in gene expression it can
lead to cancer. (Sarkar et al., 2024) This means when something can be missed in the checkpoint
which can lead to the constant creation of the same defective cell. Chromosomes need to be
checked because they may not separate correctly. Once missed at the checkpoint cells will
continue to keep replicating. Cancer is also caused by uncontrolled cell division. (V enugopal et
al., 2024) This is caused by natural mutation of genes, physical changes, and chemical exposure.
Healthy cells divide equally when going through mitosis and pass the checkpoints. There are
many checkpoints during the cell cycle but mitosis has its checkpoint.
With age, the cell division slows down which also contributes to cancer. (Tomasetti et al.,
2024) I learned that DNA plays a big role in cancer and every cell cancerous or normal goes
through the same process but one small change can trigger it. It is interesting to learn these cells
can continue replicating and creating a tumor. Damaged cells continue to create more and do not
die is also interesting. I was interested in this topic because I wanted to understand more about
cancer. I had only a basic understanding of damaged cells.
I lost my mother to cancer and it was her second time fighting. Now I understand it can
be caused by many reasons.
Work Cited
Kahyo, T., Iwaizumi, M., Shinmura, K., Matsuura, S., Nakamura, T., Watanabe, Y ., Y amada, H.,
& Sugimura, H. (2011, November 3). A novel tumor-derived SGOL1 variant causes
abnormal mitosis and unstable chromatid cohesion. Oncogene. Retrieved November 22,
2024, from
https://research.ebsco.com/c/qg64q2/search/details/khfwxacacj?q=A+novel+tumor-deriv
d+SGOL1+variant+causes+abnormal+mitosis++and+unstable+chromatid+cohesion
Sarkar, S., Sahoo, P . K., Mahata, S., Pal, R., Ghosh, D., Mistry, T., Ghosh, S., Bera, T., & Nasare,
V . D. (2021, January 6). Mitotic checkpoint defects: En route to cancer and drug
resistance. Springer Nature Link. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10577-020-09646-x
Tomasetti, C., Poling, J., Roberts, N. J., London, N. R., JR, Pittman, M. E., Meeker, M. C.,
Rizzo, A., Baras, A., Karim, B., Kim, A., Heaphy, C. M., Meeker, A. K., Hruban, R. H.,
Lacobuzio-Donahue, C. A., & V ogelstein, B. (2019, October 8). Cell Division rates
decrease with age, providing a potential explanation for the age-dependent deceleration
in cancer incidence. JSTOR. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from
https://www-jstor-org.uaf.idm.oclc.org/stable/pdf/26857996.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%
A859b3525cef6d04ccb2bbbf4593e467e&ab_segments=&initiator=&acceptTC=1
V enugopal, S., Sharma, V ., Mehra, A., Singh, I., & Singh, G. (2022, June 26). DNA
Intercalatorrs as anticancer agents. Wiley Blackwell. Retrieved November 22, 2024,
from https://research.ebsco.com/c/qg64q2/viewer/pdf/jkjdpm7ion
