Lecture 2: Cell Cycle, Mitosis, Meiosis and Chromosomes
1. Distinguish between mitosis and meiosis in a manner that makes it clear that you know what each is and how they differ.
2. Compare the length of the meiotic prophase in human males and females. Which more closely resembles mitotic prophase. How do both differ from mitotic prophase? (See page 36 of the textbook if you have difficulty with this question).
3. Briefly explain how the position of the centromere on a chromosome is used to classify types of chromosomes.
4. What abbreviations are used to designate the four parts of the mitotic cell cycle and what does each stand for?
5. Distinguish between karyokinesis and cytokinesis in a manner that makes it clear that you know what each is and how they differ.
6. Name and briefly describe the four stages that mitosis is commonly divided into. (Caution, this is not a repeat of question 4).
7. Describe two distinctly different processes that occur during meiosis to bring about mixing of the two parental genotypes during formation of gametes. Identify the stage of meiosis at which each occurs as precisely as you can, and briefly describe the mechanisms that are involved.
8. Identify the five stages of meiotic prophase and briefly describe each, including important genetic events that are occurring during that phase.
9. What role does mitosis play in a sexual life cycle? (Why do sexually reproducing organisms need mitosis at all?)
10. At what stage of meiosis does crossing over (genetic recombination) occur? (see page 33 of textbook if you are uncertain).
11. What are chiasmata and what is their genetic significance?
12. At what stage of meiosis is independent assortment of unlinked genes achieved? What is the mechanism that is involved?
13. At what stage during meiosis do the centromeres of the individual sister chromatids separate?
14. At what stage of meiosis is the chromosome number reduced to haploid (bivalents with sister chromatids still paired count as single chromosomes).
15. At what stage of meiosis is the DNA content per gamete reduced to haploid?
16. In terms of genetic uniformity of the ultimate products of each process, how do mitosis and meiosis differ?
17. What is a lampbrush chromosome and under what circumstances is it observed?
18. What is a polytene chromosome and what importance does it have in the study of genetics?
19. Distinguish between the p and q arms of an acrocentric chromosome in a manner that makes it clear you know what each is and how they differ.
20 Briefly define each of the folowing and explain its genetic significance or its significance to the study of genetics.
a. Homologous chromosomes.
b. Tetrad.
c. Synaptonemal complex
d. Biparental inheritance.
e. Sister chromatids
f. Centromere
g. Gametophyte.
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