crash course: where the sex starts

by Edmund Jakubowski PhD 5 min read

Is meiosis a sex?

Meiosis is a process where a single cell divides twice to produce four cells containing half the original amount of genetic information. These cells are our sex cells – sperm in males, eggs in females. During meiosis one cell? divides twice to form four daughter cells.

How do sex chromosomes go through meiosis?

During meiosis the male XY sex-chromosome pair separates and passes on an X or a Y to separate gametes; the result is that one-half of the gametes (sperm) that are formed contains the X chromosome and the other half contains the Y chromosome.

What is telophase in mitosis?

Telophase is the fifth and final phase of mitosis, the process that separates the duplicated genetic material carried in the nucleus of a parent cell into two identical daughter cells. Telophase begins once the replicated, paired chromosomes have been separated and pulled to opposite sides, or poles, of the cell.

What happens during telophase 1?

Telophase I is that phase when the chromosomes have finished moving to opposite ends of the cell. This will then be followed by cytokinesis producing two daughter cells. After cytokinesis, the two daughter cells would have genetically different chromosomes after meiosis I.

What is the correct order of steps in the cell cycle?

The cell cycle is a four-stage process in which the cell increases in size (gap 1, or G1, stage), copies its DNA (synthesis, or S, stage), prepares to divide (gap 2, or G2, stage), and divides (mitosis, or M, stage).

What are sex chromosomes called?

A sex chromosome (also referred to as an allosome, heterotypical chromosome, gonosome, heterochromosome, or idiochromosome) is a chromosome that differs from an ordinary autosome in form, size, and behavior.

What phase is cytokinesis?

Cytokinesis begins in anaphase and ends in telophase, reaching completion as the next interphase begins. The first visible change of cytokinesis in an animal cell is the sudden appearance of a pucker, or cleavage furrow, on the cell surface.

What is metaphase?

​Metaphase Metaphase is a stage during the process of cell division (mitosis or meiosis). Normally, individual chromosomes are spread out in the cell nucleus. During metaphase, the nucleus dissolves and the cell's chromosomes condense and move together, aligning in the center of the dividing cell.

What happens anaphase?

In anaphase each chromatid pair separates into two identical chromosomes that are pulled to opposite ends of the cell by the spindle fibres. During telophase, the chromosomes begin to decondense, the spindle breaks down, and the nuclear membranes and nucleoli re-form.

What happens in telophase II?

Telophase II: The cells pinch in the center and divide again. The final outcome is four cells, each with half of the genetic material found in the original. In the case of males, each cell becomes a sperm. In the case of females, one cell becomes an egg and the other three become polar bodies which are not used.

What are the four phases of mitosis?

These phases are prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

What happens in telophase 2 and cytokinesis?

In telophase II, nuclear membranes form around each set of chromosomes, and the chromosomes decondense. Cytokinesis splits the chromosome sets into new cells, forming the final products of meiosis: four haploid cells in which each chromosome has just one chromatid.